Vampire Academy Continued
by HannahT1495
Summary: Here is what I think should happen after the ending of VA. Includes a holiday, Tasha's trial, and a few more unexpected things along the way. I want to write in lemons, but I've labled this story T, but M reated scenes will be clearly marked :  RxD
1. Chapter 1

**So, here's what I think would happen after Last Sacrifice :)**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own any recognisable characters, they belong to their respective authors. I reserve the right to include M rated scenes, but they will be clearly marked.**

"What's the answer?" His warmth was all around me, as was his love, and again, I felt that completeness. I had that missing piece of my world back. The soul that complemented mine. My match. My equal. Not only that, I had my life back – my _own_ life. I would protect Lissa, I would serve, but I was finally my own person.

"I don't know," I said, leaning into his chest. "But I think it's going to be good."

Dimitri kissed the top of my head and tightened his arms around me. We watched the rest of the ceremony like that, wrapped up in each other. We broke apart when Lissa was lead out onto the balcony that over looked Court. As part of her royal guard, I had to be there behind her, her shadow. Dimitri had to remain behind and protect Christian. I kissed him goodbye and followed the procession onto the balcony. The cheers from below rose up to meet us and drowned out any other sounds. Lissa took it all within her stride, and waved and smiled at the cheering masses.

She was out there for a few minutes, before the guardians below started ushering the crowd out of the courtyard. The people screamed "the dragon" and "Alexandra reborn" as she disappeared from view, and when the doors had closed, I ran forward and hugged her tightly.

"Congratulations." I said, beaming from ear to ear.

"Thanks." She said, grinning right back. I looked at her and tried to get a measure on her feelings, but it was harder than I imagined. "What?"

"What what?"

"What- Don't start. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Rose."

"Fine, I was trying to guess what you are feeling. It's harder than I thought, you know. And it really feels weird without the bond. It's like losing a limb, but not painful."

"I feel it too. I never realised it was there, but I can defiantly feel that it's gone."

"Yeah, well I'm kind of glad it's gone. Now you're queen, you'd better start making little Dragomirs, and I really don't want to see Christian naked again."

"I never recall you seeing me naked, Rose." I jumped, not realising that whilst I had been teasing Lissa, Christian had come to find her, and was standing right behind me.

"Well, it wasn't really that amazing, believe me." I said, purposely looking at his crotch. He blushed and I laughed. "I'll leave you two alone." I chortled, walking over to join Dimitri, who was leaning against a nearby wall.

Just like he had when Lissa was being crowned, he grabbed my hand and pulled me close. I rested my head against his chest, and we stood there for a while, before he asked,

"When did you see Christian naked?" He looked so confused, that I burst out laughing. "What?" He repeated, looking even more puzzled.

"Oh, your face." I kissed him, and then explained about how I used to be pulled into Lissa's head when her emotions were heightened; an example of this was when her and Christian were getting hot and heavy.

"Oh." Was all he said, looking over at the couple whose position was matching ours. Then he looked down at me. "Should I feel jealous?" He asked, teasing a bit, but also asking me a real question.

"Oh Dimitri, he's got nothing on you." I replied. He gave me one of those full smiles, and looked at me with a glint in his eye.

"Oh really..." He said, bending his lips down to mine.

We broke apart when someone cleared their throats. Lissa and Christian were behind us, and both looked amused. Dimitri blushed but didn't move back.

"Yes?" I said, trying to keep a straight face.

"If you two have quite finished eating each other's faces off, we have a party to get ready for." Lissa said, smiling at us.

We all went to get changed for the party later, as Lissa and Christian had given us the night off, and we were due at the ballroom at seven. Back in our room, Dimitri 'helped' me shower. An hour later, we were finished, and I was searching for something to wear. It was a black-tie event, and I didn't have much in the way of formal, but there was that dress that Lissa had forced me to buy months ago. It was midnight blue, and came to just above the knee. It had spaghetti straps, and was very tight fitting, hugging my figure in all the right places. Earlier today, I had my bandages taken off, and now just had a small dressing over my stitches, meaning I could wear the dress, showing off my cleavage. I had a pair of black heels that complimented the black detail on the dress, and the Nazar my mum had given me matched the blue and I put in a set of Swarovski Crystal studs Lissa had gotten me for my 16th. I had minimal make up on, just a bit of eyeliner, mascara and lip gloss, and my hair was already in lose curls cascading down my back, so it really didn't take me long to get ready. Well, I took longer than Dimitri. He was wearing a black suit, white shirt and bow tie. His hair was lose, sitting just above his shoulders. God, he was gorgeous. If Lissa hadn't made me swear to go to the ball, I would have stayed in the room with Dimitri all night - if you get my meaning.

Although, I think he had the same idea. I think his mouth dropped a bit when I emerged from the bathroom.

"C'mon comrade. Wipe that drool of your chin, we need to get going." He smiled and followed, still eye-fucking me.

When we arrived in the ballroom, I literally could not believe my eyes. The only light came from the chandeliers, similar to the ones from the coronation, which hung from the ceiling. The walls were a jade green, re-painted when Lissa was elected Queen. The room was huge, easily able to fit in over 1000 guests. There was a full orchestra in one corner, and there were already over 300 people there, most of them Moroi aristocrats, but I recognised some of my friends amongst the crowd. I was people spotting, when I noticed the food table in the corner. I grabbed hold of Dimitri's hand, and dragged him with me. Most of it looked inedible, so I passed, still not feeling 100%. A few moments later, Lissa gave a speech saying how happy she was that everyone came, and spoke some more about being Queen et cetera et cetera. When she had finished, the orchestra started playing, and Dimitri pulled me into his arms and spun me around the dance floor. The music was all classical rubbish because of the aristocrats, but once it got past 10, a DJ would replace the orchestra and the music would get more modern; Lissa had promised me. I was content staying in Dimitri's arms the whole night, but my dad tapped him on the shoulder about an hour in.

"So, what did you want, old man?" I asked after a few minutes. He still hadn't said anything, and I kind of wanted Dimitri back.

"Can't I dance with my daughter without an ulterior motive?" He asked, smirking.

"Well, you could, but I know you too well, Zemy."

"Fine. I wanted to know what exactly you were doing in Detroit, and why you didn't stay in the safe area assigned to you."

"Oh, well, we needed to find Jill, and I hated just sitting around, doing nothing. Why?"

"I was just wondering what part the Alchemist played in all of this."

"Sydney did nothing! I talked her into coming with me, and she hated to do it, I could tell. But she knew that I could help, and she's my friend. What is going on between the two of you? What did she have to do for you to get her out of Russia?"

"Ah, well, that's between me and her. Don't worry about it, Rose." He gave me one of those weird smiles, and walked away, rather abruptly, if you ask me. I watched where he went, and saw him walk over to my mother.

"You know, you really are beautiful." I spun around, and saw my hot Russian man standing behind me, studying me.

"Well, thanks. You're not too bad yourself." I said, taking his outstretched hand. We danced for hours, before Dimitri went to talk to one of his guardian friends. I found Eddie, and we spoke about life. It turns out, that Lissa had pulled some strings and had got him out of the filling job, and made him one of her guardians. We spoke for a bit longer until Dimitri came up behind me.

"Hey Dimitri." Eddie greeted, eyeing Dimitri's arm that was around my waist.

"Hello Eddie."

"Rose...Is there something I should know..." He gave me a knowing look, trying and failing to keep the smile off his face. I grinned and kissed Dimitri on the cheek.

"Well..."

"HA! I knew it! Mia wouldn't believe me, but I _knew _there was something going on between you two!"

"How..." I thought we were quite sneaky at St. Vlad's.

"C'mon! It was pretty obvious. You were always around each other, giving those looks, and when Dimitri was involved in the attack on the school, you weren't seen for days, and when we found you, you looked like the living dead. You left the Academy as soon as you turned 18. You were rumoured to be in Russia, and when you came back, you looked different - not in a good way. Then, I help you break out a fugitive from prison, and a few weeks later, Dimitri is alive again. You look much happier, and you actually started smiling again! It wasn't difficult to figure out what was going on." I was shocked. "Look at that, Rose Hathaway rendered speechless!"

"I...I...Woah. Who are you and what have you done with Eddie? When did you get so...so...observant!"

"It's been known to happen." He said, smiling. "Well, I'll leave you two to it. See you guys later." He rushed off, and I saw him find Mia. Their conversation seemed very animated, and they kept looking over at me. Should I be worried?

I realised Dimitri hadn't said a word since Eddie had left.

"What's up, comrade?" He had a weird look on his face; it looked like he was in pain.

"Roza-" He sounded like something was chocking him. "Was...Was what Eddie said true? Did you-" He couldn't finish, and buried his face in his hands.

Then I realised what he was on about.

"Come on. We can't talk here." I took his hand and led him out thought one of the side doors. I found a bench by a willow tree, and I pulled us both down onto it. "What is it you wanted to know?"

"Is what Eddie was saying true? What happened after I...I...I was...turned?" I really didn't want to get into this. I had lived through it; I didn't really want to relive it all over again.

"Dimitri, I really don't want to-"

"Please Roza, I have to know." So I told him. Everything. I told him about the whole not-talking-to-anyone thing, how I left the Academy as soon as I could to look for him, and the deal I made with Adrian. I told him about how I thought he would go back to Russia, so that's where I went. He knew some of it, but not a lot. I told him about Sydney, the Strigoi and Baia. About his wake, and how kindly his family had treated me. I glazed over the part where he locked me up, but I told him why I hesitated to kill him the first time. I started to cry, but continued regardless. I told him about the bridge, and how it had felt when I staked him. How I hitch-hiked, and then passed out. I told him about when I got his letter, and how I felt both scared and happy. I told him what I had learnt about the Strigoi coming back to life, and what Abe told me about Viktor Dashkov. I explained about how I broke into and out of prison. How we went to Las Vegas to find Robert, and how I couldn't bring myself to kill him, not now I knew how to save him. I also told him about how I was going to kill him when he took Lissa. It wasn't just the fact he had taken the Moroi I was protecting. I knew he would have never forgiven himself if he had killed Lissa. I told him about how I had been depressed for so long, that even if he said he didn't love me anymore, the fact that he was alive was enough for me. By the end of it, I was sobbing. I still hadn't come to terms with the fact that I had lost him, but I really didn't want to.

"Oh, Roza." Dimitri pulled me into his lap, stroking my hair and murmuring to me in Russian until I calmed down.

"Sorry." I said, wiping the mascara smudges from under my eyes.

"Don't apologise. I'm sorry. So, so sorr-" I cut him off by fusing our mouths together.

"It doesn't matter to me. I'm just so glad you're safe, and here and alive." I said after a few minutes, standing up and holding out my hand. He took it and stood up with me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him close. "I love you."

"I love you too, Roza." He said, burying his face in my hair.

We stayed like that for a while, before rejoining the party. The DJ had set up and the dance floor had turned into more of a club. That was fine by me. Lissa dragged me away from Dimitri as soon as she spotted me, and we danced for ages before our boyfriends stole us away. It was gone 3 when me and Dimitri decided to call it a night. For me, then end of the fun was when I saw my mother and father grinding on the dance floor, and the final straw was when I saw then making out, and my dad dragging my mum back to his room.

All thoughts of a new sibling were banished when we reached our room, and Dimitri pushed me up against the door, momentarily making me forget my name with his lips. I broke for air first, but he refused to remove his lips form my skin. He kissed his way down my neck, nibbling and sucking, making me moan. I made quick work of his jacket and tie, and he lifted my dress over my head, and moaned at the sight of my midnight blue lingerie. I pulled us over to the bed, and he lay on top of me, his lips never breaking contact with mine. I ripped his shirt off, marvelling at his perfectly sculpted chest.

***M scene***

His mouth burned against mine as he ran his hands up and down my body. He traced the outside of my bra with his fingers, before cupping my breasts in his hands and squeezing. I arched off the bed, pressing into his hands as much as I could. He moved his thumbs in little circles over my nipples and I let out a loud moan. He slid his hands underneath me and unfastened the clasp and throwing the bra over his shoulder.

He fondled my breasts for a bit longer before taking them into his mouth. God, I loved it when he did that. He sucked, hard, and nibbled, probably leaving a mark, but I really didn't care. I knotted my hands in his silky hair, and tried to remember to breathe. He moved his hands down my stomach, leaving his mouth attached to my chest. He hocked his thumb under the top of my thong, and deftly removed it one handed, throwing it over his other shoulder.

He moved his fingers, stroking my clit, making me cry out his name. He massaged the sensitive flesh some more before slipping one finger inside me. I cried out and tried to make his move faster. He understood my meaning, and pumped his finger in and out.

"Oh, God." I gasped. "Dimitri!"

He slipped another finger inside me, and massaged that spot deep inside. I screamed his name again, feeling the coil in my stomach wind tighter and tighter. A few more moves of those magic fingers, and one last nibble on my nipple, and I exploded. He continued to pump his fingers in and out, until my body had stopped shaking.

"Dimitri," I panted, still shaking a little bit. "Have I ever told you how much I love those fingers of yours?"

He laughed, and moved up to kiss me. "Well, I'm sure you'll love another part of me just as much." I openly gaped at him. Where was the reserved, shy, private Dimitri I knew? To be honest, I found this new, saucy Dimitri rather sexy. I was about to make some witty remark, but he cut me off, kissing me until I was breathless.

I gradually worked his trousers down round his ankles and he met me half way and kicked them off. That left him in only his boxers, and I could see the rather large tent inside. He found the pulse point on my neck, and sucked on it as my hands made their way down his chest. I traced his V and slipped my hands into his boxers. Woah, he was _really _hard. I stroked his dick and he bucked into my hands. I continued to move my hands up and down, and he was rather enjoying it, judging by his moans.

I pulled of his boxers, and wrapped my legs round his waist, pulling him closer. He kissed me, and entered me in one stroke, making me gasp at the feeling – God, he was huge! He remained still for a bit, letting me get used to his size, before he set a fast, powerful pace, pushing me to the edge faster than I thought possible. He hit that spot _every time_ and I gasped out his name as he did. I could feel him throbbing inside me, and I rolled my hips, making him shout my name. I continued to move my hips, and he increased his pace. I could feel my walls start to quiver, and I knew I was close. He did too, and pushed in and out of me harder than he ever had before. I threw my head back and screamed as the most intense orgasm I had ever experienced washed over me. The feeling of my walls clamping down around him pushed him over the edge, and the feeling of him spilling into me prolonged the feeling, and we were both shaking by the end of it. He pulled out of me and we both groaned at the loss of contact.

***End of M scene***

He rolled over, and lay next to me. I wasn't having that, and I moved so I was half laying on him, his leg in between mine, and I wrapped my arms around his waist, laying my head on his chest. He pulled the duvet over us, and wrapped his arms around me. We fell asleep like that, both exhausted from the events of the day.

**What do you think? Review :) x**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews :) Here's chapter 2 :) x**

"NO!" Dimitri sat up suddenly, causing me to roll back onto the bed and in doing so, I woke up. He was breathing hard, and shaking slightly. He swung his legs out of bed, and pulled on his boxers before getting out of bed and moving over to the window, leaning his head on the glass. I got out of bed too, pulling on his discarded shirt, and walking over to him.

"What's wrong?" I asked, touching his arm. He flinched, but didn't move away. I knew I shouldn't push him, and I let the question hang there for him to answer when he was ready.

"I saw them. In my dreams. All those people...innocent people. I'm a murderer." He said, turning away from me.

"No. No you're not." I said moving closer, desperately wanting to comfort him.

"Yes. Yes I am. I can remember every single person. They did nothing wrong. And I killed them in cold blood. I'm a monster." He whispered the last bit, having no room in him for anger, only guilt.

I pulled on his arm, and he turned around and looked at me. He had misery and guilt written all over his face. But that wasn't the worst part. Dimitri, my strong, constant Dimitri was crying. The tears were falling thick and fast.

"Oh, Dimitri." I whispered. I moved closer and wrapped him up in my arms. He rested his head against my shoulder, and cried.

I let him get it all out before I led him back to bed. He climbed in and pulled me with him, not wanting to be alone. I wrapped him back up in my arms, and he laid his head against my chest. I stroked his hair and traced patterns on his arm that was around my hip until he fell asleep.

I hated to see him so broken, and I knew he was never really going to get rid of the guilt, a lot like me with Viktor. But I knew I had to be strong for him, help him through this. I was thinking of ways I could help, when all of a sudden I remembered it was his birthday in a few weeks. I lay there, waiting for sleep to take me and planned.

I woke up first for a change, but Dimitri's head was still on my chest, so I stayed where I was and mused over the events of the morning. He said he was a monster, but by thinking that he proved he wasn't. A monster would feel no remorse over what they had done, but the guilt was crushing him. He had mentioned before that he dreamt about the people he killed whilst Strigoi, but seeing it first hand was shocking.

"You're thinking about something." I looked down and saw that while I had been thinking, Dimitri had woken up. I smiled at him, saving those thoughts for later.

"I was just wondering what you wanted for your birthday." It wasn't a lie, just not the whole truth.

He looked surprised. "I didn't realise it was so soon."

"But still, what do you want?" He smiled at me, and said,

"I've got everything right here." He leaned up and kissed me, but I didn't let him get away with it.

"Well, if you don't tell me, I'll have to guess." I had a rough idea of what I was going to get him, but I still wanted him to tell me.

"That's fine with me." He said, stretching and putting his hands behind his head, looking up at the ceiling and smiling.

I propped my head up with my elbow and looked at him.

"I'm serious, what do you want?" He thought about it, and I thought he wasn't going to answer my question, when he looked at me, grinning.

"A new duster." I slapped his chest.

"Be serious!"

"I am!" He said, still grinning.

"What, so on your 25th birthday, all you want from your girlfriend is a leather duster?"

"Why is that so hard to believe? I need a new duster. You can buy me two if you really want."

I went to hit him again, but he caught my hand and pinned it above my head. He gave me a cheeky grin that suddenly made me a little bit scared, and pinned my other hand with the right one. He then traced his fingers down the middle of my chest, making me shiver, and stopped at my abdomen. With moves so quick I didn't have a chance of stopping; he moved both his hands to my waist and tickled me.

I shrieked and wriggled, begging him to stop. He didn't release me until I was breathless. He grinned at me, before rolling onto his back and waited 'till my breathing had evened out.

"You're mean." I said, a bit peeved he used my ticklishness against me.

"Oh, well let me make it up to you." He leaned down and gave me a slow, passionate kiss that once again, left me breathless.

"You're forgiven." I gasped, when he finally broke for air.

"I had a feeling I might be." He smiled. I wanted to hit him again, but it would just start all over again.

"Come on comrade," I said, hopping out of bed. "Time to get dressed." He groaned, but still rolled out of bed.

I got changed into jeans and a t-shirt, not starting my shifts until tomorrow. We walked hand in hand down to get breakfast, not yet having an actual apartment, so we couldn't eat whilst at home. After we had finished, I kissed Dimitri goodbye, needing to speak to Lissa. It was quite a long goodbye, especially considering I wouldn't be more than half an hour, but what can I say? He was so unbelievably sexy, I was irrevocably in love with him, and we had been apart for too long as it was.

I found Lissa heading back from the assembly hall, having to sign some more documents.

"Lissa!" I called, getting her attention. I also attracted the attention of all her entourage. There were about 10 guardians around her, and i spotted more dotted around the area, scouting for any danger.

"Rose, I thought you were still asleep?" I jogged over to join her.

"I was, but I need to talk to you."

"Ok, well shoot."

"Ahh, could I come back to your room?"

"I'm Queen. I don't have _a_ room, but you can come to my suite." We walked back to her room...no, _suite_, chatting about last night.

When we arrived, I was met with a penthouse apartment that looked more like a one-floor house. There was a huge living room with plush leather sofas, and a low glass coffee table in the middle. A huge flat screen TV was mounted on the wall above an electric fire, and the window either side looked over the whole of the court. There were corridors leading off the side of the room, and Lissa gave me a tour.

There was a huge office where she was to do all her official royal paperwork, and another smaller room with another TV and a variety of different games consoles plugged in, surrounded by bean bags.

"Christian's room." Was the only explanation I got, but that was enough.

She went on to show me the extravagant bathrooms – an ensuite and a main. There was a spare bedroom with a huge wardrobe, but nothing could prepare me for the master bedroom. It was twice the size of my room at the moment, and the massive bed took up most of the room. She showed me her wardrobe, and my mouth literally dropped open. It was like there was another room added onto the side. It was the same size as the bedroom itself, and every possible space was covered with clothes or shoes or jewellery. She showed me the kitchen on the way back into the living room, but I was still in shock from the wardrobe. The cabinets and work tops had the same white theme that ran through the whole suite, and it looked much too big for just the two of them.

Eventually, we sat down on her sofa with mugs of coffee and started to talk.

"Liss, Dimitri's birthday is in a few weeks, and I wanted to do something special. After everything that's happened, I wanted us to take a break, you know, together, before we go to Leigh. I know I haven't even started working yet, but I was wondering if I could take two weeks off. I mean, you're well within your rights to say no, but I wanted to ask."

"Of course! I've never gotten to say this, but you two are just so adorable! You can't deny the love when you two are together. And of course you can have two weeks off. I think you two need to get away from it all; you two have been through so much in the past few months." I hugged her, not quite sure what to say. "Ad of course, Dimitri will have the time off too. But I won't tell him. I'm sure you want it to be a surprise?" I nodded, still stunned at what she had said.

Suddenly, she got up and walked over to a bureau in the corner and got out an envelope.

"Here." She said, holding it out to me. "Think of it as a thank you for saving my life, and welcome to your new jobs." I opened it and gasped. Three silver door keys fell out. "Guardians usually live with their Moroi, but I don't think that would be, ah, appropriate. You know, with us both being couples, and erm, young and erm, everything..."

"Lissa, I...I don't know what to say...Thank-"

"Don't. It really is the least I can do. I have to go to a meeting now, but it's the building over the road. I had it all redecorated, but if you don't like it, just say. Go and grab Dimitri and check it out."

I launched myself at her, touched at her generosity.

"Thank you." I whispered.

"Thank you, Rose. You saved my life."

"You saved my life too." She seemed to forget that she was the one who bought me back from the dead when I was 12.

We broke apart, smiling. We spoke for a bit longer, before she had to make her way down to the centre of Court. I sent a quick text to Dimitri, telling him to meet me outside Lissa' building and he was there in about a minute. He hugged me tightly, before asking me what exactly we were doing here.

"Lissa has given us a present." I explained, pulling him by the hand towards the building opposite. I typed in the code she had given me just before she left, and opened the glass and steel doors, granting us access into the block. We were on the top floor, so we started to climb all 26 floors up – we were uber fit guardians, we should really take the stairs.

It turns out that we had the whole of the top floor to ourselves, and we had the roof for storage. The suite was a lot smaller than Lissa's but it was still amazing.

The main feature of the living room was a huge wood-burning fireplace. There were two armchairs either side, and an inviting-looking sofa was facing a decent sized TV. A well stocked bookcase was next to the fireplace, and a big square mirror hung over the mantle.

The kitchen was huge, the rustic theme continuing through. The red-wood cabinets had off-white marble tops, with a double sized oven and a humongous fridge. There was a breakfast bar in the middle with low over hanging lights. No door connected the dining room with the kitchen, just a wide archway. A large mahogany dining table with 10 chairs around it took up most of the room, but it still looked spacious.

The main bathroom had a claw-footed bathtub in the centre of the room, big enough for two. The shower was more like a wet room, taking up most of the back wall. We had a guest bedroom too, just down the hall, and our ensuite was a lot more normally proportioned.

Once again, I gasped when I saw our bedroom. There was a huge 4-poster bed with the head board against the wall opposite the door. The bathroom was on the left, and a door I guessed was the built in wardrobe on the right wall, tucked into the corner. The window to the left of our bed had a window seat – big enough to fit two – and it overlooked the countryside that surrounded Court. Another wood-burning fireplace – smaller this time – was on the right wall, that gave the room an orange glow and filled the air with the crackling of the fire.

The room had a red and gold theme running throughout. The thick carpet was a deep red flecked with gold, and the curtains were the same red. The walls had a dark wood panelling, but the detail in between was golden. The doors were mahogany – the same as throughout the suite – as was the bed frame, and the drapes that hung over it was a deep red silk. The bedding was golden and red, with the pillows covering nearly half the bed, just like in the show homes.

"Woah." I said, other, more eloquent words escaping me.

"You can say that again." Dimitri was still holding my hand, but his face showed the same awe as I was feeling. "This is a very nice, _very_ expensive present."

"I think that's a bit of an understatement." My mind slowly started to stop spinning, and something dawned on me. "Hey, this is our first apartment."

Dimitri grinned at me, squeezing my hand. "Well, we didn't buy it, but this is our home now." I grinned at him, and threw my arms round his neck.

"I love you." I said, pulling him as close as I could.

"I love you, Roza." He responded, wrapping his arms round my waist, keeping me close. We stayed like that for a bit, before he leaned down and whispered in my ear, "Do you think we should move all our stuff in today? Make it seem more like...home."

I kissed him, and unravelled myself from his embrace. "Absolutely. We'll start with your old place because it's further away, then my room. I don't think there's anything in the royal room we are in at the moment?" Dimitri had been nuzzling my neck as I said this, making it quite hard to form each sentence. He shook his head against my shoulder, giving it one last kiss before straightening up. He grinned, and grabbed my hand again, pulling me towards the door.

Dimitri didn't have a huge amount of things – surprisingly – just some books, CDs, movies, photos and clothes, but there were a few bits that took a bit longer to move. Who needs 2 computers? _And_ a laptop? Never the less, he insisted on keeping it all, one in the living room, one in the bedroom, and the laptop would live in a draw somewhere. He had a big hi-fi system he wanted to keep, and we had to call Christian _and _Eddie to help, what with all the wires and everything. My stuff was a different matter. It was mostly made up of clothes and make up – it took three trips with all four of us to move it all – but I had some books too. My CDs, films and photos were still in boxes; I hadn't had the chance to unpack them yet, what with the Strigoi-Dimitri, prison and running away thing. My technology all fit into one bag; laptop, iPod, camera and phone.

"We come bearing gifts!" Lissa and Mia arrived – bringing food! – at 12. We all stopped for a sustenance break, but I soon put them to work organising the kitchen. Lissa, Christian and Eddie left at five, having to do some official duties, and Mia left at six, having arranged to meet her dad.

It was well gone 10 by the time we started on the clothes; we saved putting the clothes away until last, thinking that distributing the wardrobe space would be more of a challenge. The boxes had been dumped on our bed or on the floor, so at least we didn't have to move them. I started opening them, seeing which stuff was mine when Dimitri said,

"Ah, Rose? I think you should come and see this." I turned around, and saw him looking into the wardrobe.

"What? Is it a rat infestation or something?" I walked up to him and froze when I saw what he was talking about. Through the door we had assumed was a built in wardrobe, was another room. It was a contrasting white to the reds and golds of the bedroom, and was lit with high intensity lights. On the side walls were rail after rail of clothing space, and the back wall had a built in vanity-table, draws and shelves.

It _was_ a wardrobe, if a wardrobe is where one keeps their clothes, but it looked more like a dressing room-slash-warehouse! It was neatly as big as the bedroom itself.

"Is it big enough to fit all your clothes in?" Dimitri teased, waving his hand in front of my face. I snapped out of my daze,

"I think I will have to buy some more clothes..."

"I think you have enough. And besides, I prefer you with them off." He said, kissing me on the cheek. "Come one, if we get a move on, we might be finished by next week." I went to hit him, but he dodged out of my way, going into the bedroom.

It took hours. We – **I** – sorted everything out into bottoms, tops, dresses, coats/jackets, lingerie, swim wear and accessories. Dimitri had his bit – he got one rail, what can I say? I thought that was generous – sorted in like five seconds, so helped me put everything on hangers. I must admit, his eyes did bug out of his sockets when he saw some of the more skimpy things I had, especially the lingerie.

Finally, at one o'clock in the bloody morning, everything was finished. We collapsed onto the bed in a heap, not moving for a few minutes, trying to recover. I wanted to fall asleep then and there, but I knew I wouldn't be comfortable in my jeans, and I might as well just get changed. I heaved myself off the bed, and walked into the wardrobe – woah, it was _really_ big – and went over to the PJ's section. I picked out a hanger at random, and it was a _very_ short red lacy nighty. In fact, it was one of the ones that made Dimitri's eyes bug out. Humm...

I moved over to one of the draws, and got out some of my matching, practically see-through lingerie, and got changed, ready to give my Russian one hell of a surprise, all thoughts of sleeping gone. I walked out, and saw that he hadn't moved. He was just staring at the ceiling, hands behind his head, deep in thought. He looked up when he heard me approach. His eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open. Well, it was _very_ short...

I didn't acknowledge him, and just went over to my side of the bed, as it I were about to get into it. He quickly rolled off the bed

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked, the desire building in his eyes.

"Bed..."

"I don't think so." He slowly walked towards me, looking like a hunter, stalking its prey.

**** M scene ****

He slowly bent down and kissed my shoulder before sliding down one strap of my nighty. He did the same thing with the other one, and let it fall to the floor. He took his time looking up and down, drinking me in. He lifted me up, bridal style and took me to the bed, starting intently into my eyes.

He put me down in the middle of the bed, and crawled so he was hovering over me. He was still staring at me, and his gaze was making me hot all over. I reached up and stroked his cheek, slowly dragging my fingers down his neck to the collar of his t-shirt. He knew what I wanted, and quickly pulled it off and threw it on the floor. I traced my fingers down his chest, marvelling at how perfectly sculpted it was.

He leaned down and kissed the hollow at the base of my neck and made his way up my throat and back again, torturing me with the slow pace. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer and memorising the way his skin felt against mine. His muscles rippled at my touch, making me realise how strong he really was. He found the pulse point in my neck, and assaulted it with his mouth. With the amount of nibbling he was doing, I was more than certain I would have a rather large hickey in the morning, but that was fine with me. His hands were placed firmly on my upper thighs and his thumbs were making small circles, sending shocks of electricity up and down my spine.

He finally moved his mouth to mine and I couldn't help but kiss him back with as much force, and more. Our tongues were battling for dominance, and I could feel his hands start to move higher, ghosting over my stomach and heading for my ribs. I smiled against his lips, and felt him smile right back.

He ran his hands around my ribcage and unfastened my bra faster than I thought was possible, as I started to move my hands lower, noticing that he was still fully clothed, sans top. I managed to undo his jeans and wriggle them down to his knees with my hands, but I had to use my feet to get them all the way off. He released my mouth and moved down to my chest, pulling my nipple into his mouth, and assaulting the other with his magical fingers. I couldn't help put knot my fingers in his hair, pulling at the roots when he bit down and pinched, making him moan. The vibrations felt so good, that I pulled harder, making him moan again.

He released my nipple with a small popping sound, and I rolled over so I was on top of him, wanting to have _my_ wicked way with him now. I trailed kisses down his chest, and I couldn't resist licking his much defined V that disappeared into his boxers, which by now had a very large tenting in them. I slipped my hands inside, stroking him up and down, feeling him thrust into my hands. I grinned against his stomach, and tightened my grip, hearing a small whimper escape Dimitri's lips. I cupped his balls and squeezed slightly, before removing my hands and pulling his last item of clothing down, freeing his rather large erection.

I leaned down and trailed my tongue up and down his inner thighs, teasing him before moving away from where he needed me the most.

"Roza!" He rasped, fisting his hands in the sheets. I felt a bit bad, and I _really_ wanted to taste him, so I gave in.

Slowly, I kissed my way back up his muscular thigh. I flicked my tongue out and licked the place where his cock met his balls, before taking them one by one into my mouth, swirling and flicking my tongue, making him cry out. I sucked hard before releasing them, and licked my way up to his head, following the vein that ran on the underside.

I licked the rather large amount of pre cum off his head, moaning at the taste, and flicked his slit a few times, making him gasp and tighten his grip on the bed spread. I sucked him in, throat deep and groaned at the feeling of his pulsing cock in my mouth.

"Roza!" He shouted, bucking into the back of my throat.

I set a slow pace, just getting used to the feeling of him in me, massaging the part that wouldn't fit in my mouth, but judging by his moans, I was doing ok. Gently, I let my teeth graze against his vein, making him swear in Russian and throw his head back. I sped up my pace, feeling his engorged member swelling even more. A few moments later, I could feel his dick twitching, so sucked hard and squeezed his balls. He shouted out my name and arched off the bed as he came down the back of my throat. I groaned at the taste, and swallowed everything he gave me. I released him from my mouth, and gave his tip a small kiss before moving back up to his face. He was breathing hard, eyes closed and his whole body was shaking.

I gave him a peck on the lips and curled into his side.

"Fuck." He gasped, still panting. I grinned; pleased I could have that effect on him. I traced patterns on his chest waiting until his breathing had evened out. "Right," He said, grinning mischievously. "My turn." I looked at him, confused, but when he rolled on top of me and started kissing his way down my ribcage, I got the jist.

Without bothering with torturing-ly slow foreplay or anything, he removed my thong with his teeth, and threw it on the floor. He stroked his finger through my folds and moaned.

"God, you're so wet." He moved his finger up to his face, making sure I could see, before sucking all the glistening liquid off, making me bit my lip to stop myself moaning. He leaned down to my ear, and whispered, "You taste so good Roza." I closed my eyes, his husky voice turning me on even more.

He moved back down to my hips, spreading my legs open as wide as they could go and placed my feet flat on the bed, making my hips face upwards, and moaned at the sight. He bent down and took a long lick of my wetness, making me gasp at the feeling. He moaned, and the vibrations nearly made me blow then and there. He continued to lick me up and down, before taking my clit into his mouth and sucking, flicking it with his tongue. I cried out and arched off the bed. I was so close, and he had only just started. I felt him smile against me, and I bit my lip, the movement giving me goose bumps.

He moved his mouth lower down, and circled my entrance with his tongue before plunging it inside of me, making me grab hold of his hair and push him closer into me. He moved his tongue in and out, making me gasp in time. He rubbed his nose against my clit, making me cry out again. He could feel me getting closer and closer, so he curled his tongue and flicked that spot, making me tighten my grip in his hair, my thighs shaking. He moaned at the feeling of me pulling at his roots, and the feeling of the vibrations and the pushing of his tongue in and out, in and out made me scream, the hot lava flowing from my core. He drank up everything I gave him and waited until my body stopped shaking before removing his head from in between my legs. I collapsed flat on the bed, my body still quivering.

He kissed his way back up my body and smiled against my collar bone. I pulled his mouth towards mine, and kissed him hard and fast, moaning at the taste of myself on his tongue. His hands spread my legs and moved up to my breasts. He lined up his cock at my entrance, and pinched down hard on my nipples as he plunged into me, hard and fast. I clamped my lips around his and nearly screamed once again at the feeling. Once I had gotten used to the feel of him in me – he was _really _big, width ways and length ways – I released his mouth and let him assault my neck and he fucked me hard and fast. Don't get me wrong, I loved it when me and Dimitri took it slow and lovingly, but the feeling of him pounding in and out of me, harder and faster than I had thought physically possible was amazing.

I met each thrust with equal force, but it still wasn't enough. He pulled right out if me and grabbed my knee and hitched it over his shoulder, doing the same with the other leg. He thrust his way inside me and I cried out with the new angle. I could feel every single inch of him like this, and every thrust pushed against my g-spot violently, sending shudders right through me. His face was still near my head, and I could hear him muttering my name every time he pushed into me. I slid my hands down his back and grabbed hold of his arse, feeling his taught muscles clench every time he thrust into me. He moved his hands above my head to give him more power, and I could feel the coil in my stomach start to wind tighter and tighter.

A few more thrusts and I exploded, screaming out his name. The feeling of me milking him for all I was worth made him join me. He pulled out of he and we collapsed on the bed in a tangle of sweaty bodies. I was in not fit state to even move, but Dimitri recovered faster than I did.

***End of M scene ***

He pulled me into his side and kissed my head. No words were needed, and we just basked in the perfect moment, and fell asleep in each other's embrace, just like we had for the past few days, and just how I always wanted it to be.

**What do you think? Review :) x**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for all the reviews :) Here's the next chapter...**

I woke up to an empty bed, but it was still warm; he can't be far.

"Dimitri?" I croaked, sleep making my voice thick.

There was no answer, so I got up, put my discarded underwear on and pulled his t-shirt off the floor and over my head. I padded barefoot into the hall way and followed the sounds of sizzling. He was in the kitchen, cooking something that smelt delicious, only wearing his boxers.

I admired the view for a while before walking up behind him and wrapping my arms around his waist.

"Good morning." He smiled, reaching down and giving me quite an intense kiss for half past 10 in the morning.

"It is now." I smiled. "What's cooking?" It was making my mouth water.

"Pancakes. I knew you would be hungry."

"I always am comrade." Yum! I _love_ pancakes. He turned around and put his hands on my hips.

"You know, I love it when you wear my clothes."

"And I love it when you are in no clothes at all." I leaned forward to kiss him when the doorbell rang.

"Leave it." He whispered, pulling me closer. I leaned in again, but whoever it was at the door got annoyed and rang again. I sighed and untangled myself from his arms. I wrenched the door open, ready to have a go at whomever it was, but I stopped short.

"Oh, hi Liss. Come in." She left her entourage outside – they thought she would be safe enough in an apartment with two bad-ass guardians – and came in.

"I, erm, didn't interrupt anything, did I?" I grinned at her discomfort.

"Nope, Dimitri was just making me breakfast." Well, that wasn't _all_ we were doing, but the answer was true to what she asked.

"Oh, that's good, I was a bit worried I'd...So, how you settling in?" I grinned again and gushed over all the details. I had all but forgotten about my hot Russian cooking me breakfast, when he said,

"Hello, Princess. Sorry! You're Majesty!"

"Dimitri, if you insist that I call you 'Dimitri' you must call me 'Lissa'. Well, you'll have to, now I've seen you in your underwear." She glanced down at his boxers and he blushed.

"Er, right. Sorry. I'll just, erm, go and get dressed." He hurried off to get dressed, and I watched him go, admiring that fine arse of his.

"You must be a _very_ happy woman." I could hear the amusement in her voice.

"Huh?" I was still fantasizing about his arse and other fine parts of his anatomy, so I wasn't completely listening.

"Rose!" I snapped out of it and gave her a sheepish grin.

"Sorry. I just can't help myself." She grinned.

"So, how is he? You know. How _is_ he?"

"Liss!" I was surprised! I was the one that usually asked such questions.

"C'mon Rose! I'm your best friend! And by the looks of his package, I don't think you have any complaints." She said, winking. I should have been shocked really, but just gave her a secretive smile and said,

"I have absolutely no complaints whatsoever." She gave me a wicked grin and leaned closer.

"I've heard European men do that thing with their-"

"Hehem." We moved apart suddenly and looked up. A very smug looking Dimitri was standing behind us. "Do go on. Act as if I'm not here." Lissa blushed and looked away. I got up and walked over to him,

"Well comrade, Lissa and I were just discussing how good you were in bed. She was just about to tell me what European men do with a part of their anatomy, and I was about to say if you do that or not. Liss?" She was bright red at this point, and Dimitri was grinning. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer,

"Well, I'd better hang about then." Lissa looked scandalised, and was stuttering, trying to talk herself out of it.

"Alright, leave her alone now. I want my breakfast." I gave him a peck in the lips and pulled him into the kitchen, not waiting for her to follow me. I sat down at the breakfast bar and dug into the plate of pancakes.

"You know, this is really good." Dimitri was watching me with a weird look on his face. "What?" I said, with my mouth full of food.

"You know, you really do eat a lot." I wanted to throw something at him, but the food was too good.

"So do you." It was true, he ate just as much as I did.

"Yes, but I'm nearly a foot taller than you."

"Shut up." I was finished, and took my plate over to the sink. He came up behind me and spun me around. "Wha-" He cut me off by pressing him mouth to mine, making up for the lack of kiss this morning, and more. "Mmmm, thank you."

"For breakfast or the kiss?" He said, kissing me again.

"Mmmm, both." I pulled him back down to me.

"If you two want to be alone, all you had to do was ask." I smiled against Dimitri's lips, and gave Lissa the finger. She laughed and pulled me away from my man. I pouted but let her drag me away, sending him a quick smile before being pulled down the hall. Lissa pulled me into my bed room and stopped short.

"Jesus Rose!" She walked over and picked up my see-through, red, lacy nighty that Dimitri had appreciated last night. I just winked at her, and picked up the rest of Dimitri's clothes.

"What? I have a very sexy Russian all to myself, what do you think we would be doing, playing cards? Anyway, don't act like you and pyro aren't at it like rabbits too." She blushed, but dropped it. She followed me into the wardrobe, but turned her back when I got dressed. "What did you come over for anyway?"

"I just wanted to see how you were. I didn't get the chance to ask you yesterday, but how are you feeling? By the looks of it, you're not finding strenuous activity challenging." She was eying up the rather large hickey on my neck, her eyes shining with amusement.

"I feel a lot better." I said, not responding to her jibe, "I still have a little trouble showering, because it hurts to raise my hands above my head, but-"

"Oh, I bet Dimitri loves to help you shower." She was becoming too cocky, so I decided to let her know more than she bargained for,

"Yeah, he loves it. Well, to be honest, so do I. You know, when we are both hot and wet, and in such a confined space, and with the smell of him filling up the shower, I just can't stop myself-"

"Yes, alright. I'll stop with the sex comments." She was looking a bit creped out, but was still smiling. "And how do you like the apartment? I know it's smaller that mine, but I thought you two would like the place to feel a bit more cosy, and if you wanted more space, you could always get a loft conversion. I was speaking to Mia earlier, and we think that-"

She was getting into her 'interior designer mode', so I shut her up with a hug. "Thank you. It's perfect." And it was. She stayed for a bit longer, but rushed off to have brunch with Christian.

We finished the last of the unpacking and snuggled up on the sofa. It was scarily like the spirit-induced scenario Avery showed me a few months back, but it was better. 1. I actually had my Russian with me 2. We didn't have to move away from court 3. We weren't going to be disturbed anytime soon, so we didn't have to look decent.

Things were getting pretty hot and heavy, and I knew that it wasn't going to be long before the last of our clothing was removed. I rolled us over so I was sitting on top of him.

"C'mon comrade, I want to try something." He looked confused, but still followed me into the kitchen. I backed up against the breakfast bar, and he put his hands on my hips, his touch sending shocks through my body. I pulled his head down towards me, and nibbled on his earlobe before licking the out shell of his ear and whispered,

"Take me."

***M scene***

He growled and lifted me up, taking me by surprise. He sat me on the worktop and ripped the last of our clothing off.

He pushed me so I was lying down, and ran his hands up and down my body, making me moan like some wanton hussy.

I didn't notice that he had knelt down until his hands left my body. I opened my eyes and sat up, confused. All I saw was his chocolate eyes looking up at me from in between my legs, and I felt more wetness pooling in my nether regions. I lay back down and closed my eyes, feeling his hot breath come in pants on my inner thigh. I bit my lip, repressing the groan that wanted to escape. All my concentration was suddenly lost when I felt his wet tongue oh so close to where I needed him. He licked up and down my inner thighs, just like I had done yesterday. By this point my breath was coming in short shallow gasps, which was ridiculous; he hadn't even touched me yet. He was making his way up to my heated core when I felt teeth nibble my skin. It was a little bit painful, but it was a good pain, turning into pleasure and I moaned loudly. He lapped and sucked at the spot, taking the sting off it before repeating.

"Are you marking me, comrade?" I panted, surprised that I could actually form coherent sentences. I felt him smile against my thigh, before kissing the spot, and straightening up, and whispering in my ear,

"Mine." Oh God, his voice was so husky, and deep, like velvet caressing my skin, his accent more pronounced. I groaned a bit, making him chuckle under his breath and kiss me on the cheek before returning to his kneeling position with guardian speed.

He took a long lick before plunging his tongue into me, making me arch of the worktop and cry out. He curled his tongue and assaulted the spot inside me, whilst he used his hands to fondle my nipple and my bundle of nerves. I mumbled some incoherent words, making him laugh hard. I screamed at the feeling of the powerful vibrations, and he continued to hum. I could feel the coil wind tighter and tighter, the pressure becoming almost painful before one of the most earth shattering orgasms wracked my body, making my toes curl and my back arch to the point of pain. He rode out the waves with me, still humming and moving his tongue and rubbing my clit and pinching my nipple and – oh! I came a second time, my body shaking violently. He swallowed all my juices, and licked all around my pussy before straightening up, looking very pleased with himself.

He pulled me up so I was sitting, and moved my arms around his neck so I had something to support me. I rested my forehead in the crook between his head and shoulder, and he rubbed circles with his thumbs into my back whilst I recovered.

I kissed my way up his neck and found his lips, fighting his tongue for dominance and winning. I explored his mouth, loving the taste of myself mixed in with the taste that was Dimitri. I wrapped my legs around his waist and he lifted me off the counter. He walked us over to the wall and stood so my back was pressed up against the wall.

"Roza," he whispers. His head ducked down to my chest and I writhed as his tongue swirled. His right hand moved away from my hip, and trailed down my body, stopping to rub my clit. He kisses me roughly before lifting me higher.

"I've wanted to fuck you like this ever since I saw you in that black bra. God, you have no idea what you do to me." he whispered roughly in my ear, continuing his ministrations on my clit. I was getting closer. I pulled him closer, and he looked up at me, asking if I was ready.

I nodded and he lined me up before impaling me on his hard self. My legs automatically wrapped tighter around him, my heels digging into his fine arse, pulling him deeper with each thrust.

"Yes!" I gasp, placing my hands on his shoulders for leverage. I pulled him closer to me and he pushed harder and deeper into me. Oh God. I want more. I need more, so I let it overtake me.

I buried my head in his neck as he plunged in and out of me. He smells like me from being so close to me for so long, but much more masculine too, his aftershave drowning out all my other senses. I needed to taste him, so I licked his neck and around the shell of his ear and then I suck on his earlobe.

"Ugh... Roza!" he grunts, his accent really thick now, making me wetter.

I pull his hair and he kisses me sloppily. Our teeth clash and I bite his lower lip hard. He pulls his head back slightly and my teeth drag along his bottom lip. He moves his head and sucks hard on my pulse point on my neck, making me moan and pull him closer. He moves harder and faster, harder and faster. The wall behind me is rubbing, and I think there will be a mark, but I don't care. I am close. I urge him harder and faster and deeper and harder and faster and deeper-

"Yes! More." He gives me what I want. He is there but he holds off because he knows I am almost there, too. I touch myself. I rub my clit and then touch where we are joined. He can't take that and he impossibly grows before exploding, filling we with his seed. He is what I need and I come undone around him. He lifted me up and slid out of me, before I wrapped my legs tighter around his waist, keeping him close.

***End of M scene***

He rests his sweaty forehead on my sweaty shoulder and breathes deeply. I laugh breathlessly, and I lean my head back against the wall. He kisses his way up my neck, and touched his lips against mine, not kissing, but it still felt amazing.

"What's funny?" He murmurs, his voice still husky and his accent still strong. I feel his lips moving over mine, and I also feel his smile. I smile in return and say,

"I just can't believe my luck." His smile widens, and his arms tighten around me.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. I am the lucky one, Roza." I open my eyes, and his gaze is so intense I get goose bumps. I smile, and trap his bottom lip in between mine. We kiss slowly before he carries me into the shower to rinse off our sweaty bodies.

Neither of us had the energy left to _do_ anything, but he helped me wash my hair. The feeling of his powerful fingers massaging my scalp was wonderful, and what made it even better was it was his shampoo, so I smelt of him even more. He held me close for a while, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, not wanting there to be any space between us. We quickly washed our bodies – once again, in his body wash – before the hot water ran out, and got dressed in comfy clothes, before curling up in an armchair.

In the afternoon, my parents come over for a visit, and I am relieved that Dimitri cleaned the livingroom and kitchen, and disinfected the worktop whilst I was getting dressed. There was no physical evidence of our little escapade of course, but it would still feel weird.

Dimitri got up and answered the door, and was still formal. You would think, living and have regular – AMAZING – sex with their daughter, he would at least stop looking like a teenager meeting his girlfriend's parents.

"Mr Mazur. Guardian Hathaway. Please come in." He ushered them inside, somehow still looking nervous.

"Hi mom, hi dad. What's up?" They sat down on the sofa, and Dimitri just hovered, looking a bit scared.

"Can't we come and see our daughter's new abode? It seems like everyone else knew you were moving before we did." Abe answered, looking around as he did so.

"Everyone else knew we were moving before _we_ did, so don't get all uppity, Zemy." I was a bit pissed that they had to walk in on the moment when Dimitri's hands were just inching their way into my jeans; mine already having been in his for some time-

"Rose, don't speak to your father like that." I looked at her, my mouth wide open. Abe looked very pleased, and I was once again wondering what was going on between the two of them. I was about to get all defensive and probably make everyone a bit more pissed off, but Dimitri noticed and quickly stepped in,

"Would you like a tour?" He shot me a look that said, _don't start anything._ I shut my mouth.

"Thank you, Belikov. I think we will." Once again, Abe answered for the both of them. I was certain something was going on between them. I lead them into the kitchen first, and shared a secret look with Dimitri when my mother admired the breakfast bar. I showed them the dining room and the guest bedroom, when I noticed that Dimitri had skulked off. I was showing them the guest bathroom when he returned, and led us towards the master bedroom.

I noticed that the bed had been made, the towels picked up off the floor, the curtains were drawn and the bathroom cleaned up. I sensed him looking at me, and he shot me a quick wink when my father commented on how big the bed was. My mother gasped when she saw the wardrobe and, luckily, I noticed that all the clothes had been cleared up off the floor in here too, as well as all my skimpy things hidden away. Dimitri and I stood in the doorway while she explored the room, and my father was following her round, confirming my suspicions.

I intertwined my fingers with Dimitri's and whispered, "Where are all my clothes?" He knew what I meant, and tried to keep the smile off his face.

"I didn't think your parents would appreciate seeing those things, especially your father. I don't want to lose any fingers, toes or any other part of my body thank you very much." We both knew he wasn't talking about his fingers. "Besides, I thought I was the only one who was supposed to see those items of clothing." He had a wicked smile on his face and a glint in his eye that made my stomach flutter. I really wanted to kiss him, but I knew my parents wouldn't like to see their daughter eat some guy's face off...

"Well, Rose, this is really amazing." My mother was still in awe of the sheer size of the 'wardrobe'. "How did you afford something like this? I _know_ you don't have enough money on your account, and guardian's salaries aren't enough to cover this. Unless Dimitri had savings or something, but this looks very expensive, and it really was a stroke of luck to get it so close to Vasilisa and Christian. And an apartment with loft space!"

"Mom, it was a gift." Both my parents looked stunned.

"What! This is a very expensive gift! Who gave it to you?"

"Lissa. She said we needed a place near her, but she, er, didn't want us staying with her and Christian. She said it was a thank-you and a congrats-on-your-new-jobs present, for both of us." My mother looked shocked.

"She gave you an apartment! Really Rose, you shouldn't ask for things off your friends, even if they are rich Moroi. Even if they are royal Moroi. Even if they are _Queen_. I-"

"Erm, Guardian Hathaway? Vasilisa gave _both_ of us the apartment, and neither of us were expecting it. It was a _huge_ surprise, but I thought it was too much too. I even offered to pay her back over time, but she was having none of it." He did? Well, I never knew that.

"Janine, leave them alone. Would you rather them live across the other side of court in some mould-infested bed-sit, miles away from everyone? I'm sure Vasilisa knew what she was doing, and it isn't our place to tell Rose – and Dimitri – what they can and can't accept in regards to gifts. Just, leave them be." My father standing up to my mother was even more surprising than Dimitri doing it. And the fact that he was touching the small of her back and – God help me – _kissed her forehead_ when he was finished was enough to render me speechless.

I think I openly gawked at them, because Dimitri squeezed my hand, and my mother – my fierce, bad-ass mother – blushed and said, "Don't gawk like that Rosemarie, you look gormless." My father snickered, but stopped when he saw me shoot daggers at him.

Dimitri led us back into the living room, and sat down in an armchair. My mother and father, once again, sat on the sofa, and I think I was expected to sit in the other armchair judging by the look Dimitri gave me. But I was tired of not being able to touch him around my parents, so I just nestled myself in his lap, taking him by surprise. I put by back against the armrest, and pushed my feet in between Dimitri's leg and the other armrest, getting comfy. He still wrapped his arms around me, but didn't hold me as close as he would have if we were alone, or if it were anyone else.

We chatted about the happenings in Court for a while. It turns out that Jill was to be transferred to a human school far away from Court, was to be given a new identity and given guards so she could complete her education in peace. It was unknown where she was to be sent, and only a handful of people knew of this arrangement, my parents included.

My father, seeing as he was my lawyer, told me that Tasha's hearing was scheduled in a month, as they were still gathering all the evidence against her. I looked down at my hands hearing this; still shocked Tasha would do something like this. I had to give evidence in the trial, speaking about what I found out about Ethan etc... Of course, he was to be called to the witness stand, as was Ian and everyone else involved, but I was to tell my side of things, and I had to state, for the record, that I had been stitched up and everything.

Dimitri took my hand at this, and rubbed soothing circles into my palm. I knew how hard it was for him to hear that an old friend was not only a murderer, but had also framed the woman he loved, willing to see her die.

"The one thing I don't understand, was why you? Why did Tasha frame you? I just can't get my head around it." I had told Dimitri what I had seen through the bond regarding Tasha's aura. He of course felt immensely guilty, but he agreed that it made sense. I couldn't answer my mother.

"It was because she still had feelings for me." My mother looked up at Dimitri as if he had suddenly sprouted a third eye and told her he liked to eat children. "Do you remember Christmas? She asked me to be her guardian, and said she wanted to have children with me." My mother nodded slowly. It hurt to hear this. So much had happened in such a short space of time. It also hurt to know that Dimitri could have taken her offer, and would probably be a father-to-be right now. I was too young at the moment, but I had always wanted children, and I knew Dimitri did too. I hated taking that possibility away from him. "I turned her down, and she said she was ok with it. That we could still be friends. I...I never realised that she was actually in love with me. I knew she, er, liked me, but I though she just asked because of convenience. Rose saw Tasha's aura through Vasilisa's bond, just before she got shot-" His voice broke here, and I squeezed his hand. "When...when I said I agreed with Rose, that I thought she was the murderer, Rose saw that...that she still loved me. And when she looked at Rose, she saw hatred. She...she framed Rose because of me." He whispered the last bit, and I pulled his face into the crook of my neck, knowing he wouldn't want my parents to see him like this.

I looked at my parents, but they were looking at each other. Thankfully, they didn't look angry at Dimitri, but I could see that my father was furious. Dimitri recovered, but still had a far-off look in his eyes.

"She framed you, because of _that_!" My father was fuming. "I'm going to kill her!" It was the first time I actually saw why so many people we scared of him. I mean, he didn't look harmless, but I now know why people call him Zemy.

"Ibrahim. Calm down." My mother placed he hand on his arm, and stopped him getting up, presumably on his way to the Court prison.

"Janine! I can't sit here and do nothing! She framed _my_ daughter with murder! She was going to let _my_ daughter take the blame! SHE WOULD HAVE DIED! And look at him! He's in pieces! How can she _do_ that to him! They were friends! Now he is beating himself up because the woman he loves nearly died because he didn't shack up with someone else! She has caused pain and suffering to my family. I won't have it. She. Will. Pay." I was stunned. 1. I didn't realise he cared about me that much. 2. I didn't realise he cared about _Dimitri_ that much! He regarded him as family? 3. He really was quite scary.

"Ibrahim! Stop this. Losing your temper will _not _help things!" I could totally see why I had such a bad temper. My mother was standing up, looking down at Abe. It was a credit to him that he wasn't cowering in fear. I know I would.

"Oh, 'sitting down' and 'talking about it' will? Janine, you really are full of rubbish sometimes!" He was standing up now, towering over her. She was still looking up at him, defiantly.

"_I'm_ full of rubbish? Do you honestly think that running in there, all guns blazing, and beating up or killing Tasha yourself will solve the problem? You will just be convicted of murder yourself! And the damage has already been done! Killing her won't erase the hurt and suffering she caused! I _know_ you! You never usually react to things like this! I know Rose nearly died, I _get_ that. I know how it feels. SHE'S MY DAUGHTER TOO! But what is it about Tasha that has got you all riled up?" She was shouting at him at this point.

"Why do you _think_ Janine? A woman nearly killing another woman because she wants her man? Have a _think_ about it! WHY DO YOU THINK I AM SO ANGRY! And if that isn't enough, she is OUR DAUGHTER!" This made no sense at all. At least he shut my mother up. They were both breathing hard from shouting, but my mom looked pained somehow.

You could cut the tension in this room with a knife. I had to say something. Of course, being Rose Hathaway, I just _had_ to say,

"Well, I can see where I get my temper from." My father looked away from my mom and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. I even think he was counting to ten. My mother looked at me, but I expected her to be annoyed. Instead, she looked sad. I was _really_ confused.

"Sorry Rose. And Dimitri. You shouldn't have seen that."

"Oh for God's sake! I'm not a five year old! I don't care that my parents just had some full blown argument in the middle of my living room. What I want to know is what the hell was he on about?" I pointed at my dad. I wasn't as mad as either of them was and I was still sitting on Dimitri's lap, but I had to work to stop myself from shouting.

"It was nothing. Ignore me." He was still looking at the opposite wall, and his voice sounded weird.

"Hell no! I'm not leaving this alone. What did you mean?" No answer. I knew I was getting angry now, and I worked to keep my temper under control. I remembered that when I called him dad, he seemed to soften up a bit. It was worth a try. "Dad? What did you mean?" I was speaking more normally, and I didn't have to work to put the confusion in my voice. I think I ended up sounding much younger, like a child, but it did the trick. He turned around and looked at my mom before sitting back down on the sofa and putting his face in his hands. My mom joined him, and sighed.

"Rose, I don't really know where to begin." She sighed again. "I think you'd better do it Ibrahim." My dad looked at her and said quietly,

"I really didn't think I'd ever end up telling her like this. Or at all."

"No, me either." My mom said, just as quietly, giving him a small smile. He cleared his throat and sat up straight.

"Well, Rose, where do you want me to start?"

**Review :) xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the reviews :) x**

"_Well, Rose, where do you want me to start?"_

"I don't think I should be here for this. I should let you talk alone." Dimitri tried to get up, but I didn't move.

"Oh no you don't comrade. You're staying right where you are." He tried to get up again, but my mother said,

"Don't bother, Dimitri. She will tell you when we are gone anyway. You might as well hear it firsthand." He still looked sceptical, so I jumped in,

"It's true. I would just tell you anyway, and I will probably say it wrong. And besides, I'm comfy now." I kissed him on the nose before turning back to my dad, "Erm, start at the beginning, and then explain how it links in to what you said?" I was a little bit nervous now. What was going on?

"Well, I was 25, and I was living in Istanbul with a few friends. I was at a club one night when I met this woman. She was seven years younger than me," At this, Dimitri squeezed my hand, "but it didn't matter. We went out for a while, and erm, you know, we liked each other and everything, but she was on a tour of Europe with her friends; they had just graduated, and were seeing the world before getting jobs. I really didn't want her to leave, but she couldn't just stay in Turkey with me, so we decided that I was to go with her. It was great, and I loved her, but it was coming to the end of her trip. She said she loved me too, so I followed her back to Court, waiting for her to get a job. She got assigned as one of the general guardians, and I got a job redesigning the palace for the new queen, Tatiana.

"We lived in Court together, both of us had stable incomes, and we were, erm, looking forward to the future." I could tell this was awkward for Abe. It was awkward for me. I have always been curious about when and where my parents met and everything, but really didn't want to know the details. "I had know her for a year, and we were happy together, and in love and, erm, everything. I proposed, and she said yes." Well, this I didn't know. Both my parents had the same sad smile on their face. I kind of knew how this ended up, but something told me something happened that I hadn't thought about. "My contract with the queen was coming to an end, and I was planning on asking my fiancé to be my guardian. That way we could live away from Court, and you know, raise a family, and everything." Poor Zemy was blushing at this point. But I wasn't paying attention to his discomfort. I was mourning the children I could have had with Dimitri. If only I was a Moroi. I hated taking that away from him. And I could just imagine, in the next few years, Lissa and Mia and everyone settling down and having children, but I could never have that. I would never be called 'Mommy', or get things on Mother's Day, or pretend that Santa was real, and wrap up presents in secret. I would never get to pretend to be the tooth fairy, and leave a dollar under the pillow. I would never have any of that. And that hurt. A lot.

"We had found a place in Montana, as we knew that any children would be dhampir, and we wanted to be close to the Academy where they would be educated, and didn't want to be those parents who never saw their children." This made me sad too. I had always been envious of the kids whose parents came for the weekends, and went home for the holidays. My earliest memory was when I was taken the Academy when I was four, the youngest age that they would take children. And up until I was 10, I stayed at the Academy every summer and Christmas, staying with the children whose parents couldn't see them. It hurt that I was the only one who was always there. The other children, if they missed a Christmas, would see their family the year after, or their family would come down to them. But I didn't see my mother again until I was seven. She was visiting with the Moroi she was guarding, and I didn't even know she was there until I saw her walking around campus one day.

When she dropped me off three years ago, she had told me to be a good girl and if I was, I would see her soon. It may be hard to believe, but I was as well behaved as one could be, but she never came. I sent her pictures, and birthday cards, and things made out of pasta and glitter. When I got older, I started writing her letters about what I was doing. My handwriting was barely legible, my spelling atrocious and my letters back to front, but every week I would ask Alberta to help me write my mom a letter, telling her about my week and asking her about hers and when I would see her again. At the time when I saw her again, I was still sending her letters and pictures, but I hadn't got one reply. Not one. I remember running up to her and hugging her knees. I asked her how long she was here for, and telling her how happy I was that she had come to see me. I chatted away, not realising that something was wrong. She was just standing there, with me hugging on to her legs for dear life. I remember thinking that if I let go, she would disappear again. She told me she had been here for two weeks, and she was leaving tomorrow. I was confused, asking her why she hadn't seen me before. She said she was working, and couldn't take time off. I asked her about my letters and pictures. She said she got them. That was it. She pulled me off her legs, and just walked away. No goodbye, nothing. I ran after her, calling her back, asking where she was going. I started crying, and I tripped over and scraped my knee because I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I just wanted to get to my mommy. I think I still have the scar. She didn't even turn around.

When I was 9, Lissa invited me to spend the summer with her family. I declined, saying I was sure that my mom would visit me this year. It was what I said every when she asked me if I was going to be ok by myself for Christmas. She didn't come. I was invited to spend Christmas with the Dragomirs that year as well. I think Lissa had told her parents about how I was alone for the holidays, and that my mom was really busy with work, and that she would come this year, all the crap I had been feeding Lissa about how I was ok being alone. I think they realised what was going on. I said yes, but I remember having a long conversation with Alberta, telling her that if my mom came, or sent a letter, or asked to speak to me, she was to tell me right away and send me to my mom. She reassured me she would, but that didn't stop me telling her every time I saw her. I had a great time with Lissa that year, but I rang Alberta up every day, asking if she had heard from my mom. She hadn't. I sent my mom a really long letter after the holiday, telling her about every single little thing I had done. I think I even described the pattern on my wrapping paper. But, once again, I got no reply. I spent every holiday with Lissa from then on. Her parents were glad she had made such a close friend as she was too nice for her own good, and got picked on sometimes. I was the opposite. Ever since that Christmas, I had stood up for Lissa fiercely. Anyone said anything mean to her, took her seat at lunch, borrowed her pens without asking, I would start on them. I got into a bit of trouble about it, but I didn't care. Once, I had a fight with this boy because he said something about Lissa's hair. We may have only been ten, but the dhampirs were already learning how to fight, and being a bad-ass ran in my blood. His parents were called into school, and we all sat in Alberta's office, and spoke about how it was naughty to fight one another and promise never to do it again. It was then that I realised that if I was bad enough, my mom would _have_ to come into the school. She said if I was good then she would come and visit me, but I had been well behaved and she never came. It was time to change tactics. Needles to say, she never came. I still wrote her letters, told her about my grades and apologised profusely for not behaving well. I used to get so worked up that because I was naughty, my mom didn't love me anymore, and that was the reason she never saw me. I think I put all of this in a letter once, but I got no response. I handed Alberta the letter in person every Friday, and walked with her to the postal man, Frank I think, and I watched him put it in his bag, and he would send me a note saying it was delivered to the right address. But still nothing came.

I was twelve when I next saw my mother. She had no choice in the matter, she had to come. I had just been involved in the car crash, and she had to give her permission for them to operate on me. I was in hospital for weeks, and I only saw her once. It was when I had first woken up. The nurse noticed me, and sent my mom in. I was still groggy from the anaesthetic, and I ached all over, but I was sure she would stay with me this time. It was what moms did, right? Look after their little girl when they were hurt. She took a seat and looked anywhere but me. I croaked out her name, and she said hello. That was it for a while, but I was just happy I could see her. The only other thing she said to me was "Is Vasilisa ok? I hope so. Such a loss." I had just seen my best friend's family crushed to death by a truck. I had very nearly died on the operating table, and there was a 30% chance of survival. I hadn't seen her in six years, and she asked me if Lissa was ok. I remember that moment clearly. It took me a while to answer, and I told her that Lissa was fine. She had a few scratches and bruises, but she was physically ok. I told her that I was in the way of the truck and her, so she was ok. She was just missing her family. I was fighting back tears the whole time, praying my mother would comfort me, tell me it was going to be ok. But she nodded. She got her things together, and started to walk out. I remember calling her back, she turned around this time, but didn't say anything. She had her cold guardian mask up, and she showed no emotions whatsoever. I remember the silent tears falling down my face. I remember how she didn't ask if I was ok, offer me a tissue, nothing. She just walked out. That was the last time I saw her, before I ran away from the Academy, and everything happened. I remember at that point thinking, _fuck her_. I had sent her letters, and pictures, every week without fail. I even sent her one when I was bed ridden with chicken pox. I sent her presents and cards for birthday and Christmas, I sent her a card at thanksgiving, and sent her my chocolate bunny that was given out to every child every Easter. Ok, the presents were handmade photo frames, or a painting of the Academy, or a Christmas tree decoration made out of salt-dough, cooked in the kitchens oven when all the others were out playing. I would sit there and watch it harden for an hour, before the cook would take it out the oven and wait for it to cool before I took it up to my room and wrapped it up in paper. The cards were handmade as well, and the chocolate bunny probably melted by the time it got to Ohio ***let's just say the Janine was stationed in Ohio, but Nepal***, but I still sent it. I never got anything for my birthday, or Christmas, but I still sent it to her.

It was then when I started to hate my mother. Lissa had now lost all her family, so we stayed on campus together for the holidays. I didn't send my mother anything else, but that didn't get a reaction either. I had always hoped that I would be a mom, and I would treat my daughter how I wished my mother her treated me all those years ago. I was pulled out of my memories by my father,

"Nearly everything was packed, and we were eager to start our life together. Janine was called in to see the queen, and was in there for quite a while. I remember getting worried, but I had been forbidden to enter with her. She came out crying. It turned out that Tatiana had grown fond of me, and wanted me to become one of her...I don't know how to put it...You both know Ambrose? Like him. She told Janine that if we left Court together, there would be serious consequences. She told Janine that she was a whore, after my money and that I didn't love her, and that I would leave once she gave me a child. It was stupid of course, but it struck a nerve. We left anyway, and everything seemed ok for a while. We were knee deep in wedding arrangements, when Janine found out she was pregnant with you, Rose. We bought the wedding forward and made plans for you to go to St. Vladimir's when you were eight, booking a space on the waiting list. Your mother was three months pregnant when Tatiana's guardians descended on the house. She was following through on her threat. She ordered some of her guardians to attack Janine, and some restrained me. I couldn't do anything, and I watched them nearly kill her. Tatiana said that if I didn't leave Janine, she would kill her, and our unborn child. She gave us three days to 'think' about it, but there was nothing we could really do. I made arrangements for Janine to live in the house until you were old enough to go to the Academy. The plan was still to wait until you were eight, and Janine would get a job there. I was to move back to Turkey. Tatiana had told me I had to leave, not that I had to leave _with her_. I was to send things over, and you were to spend the holidays with me. Tatiana came back, and we told her that I was to leave. She then went on to tell us that she had arranged Janine to work for a Moroi who lived in Ohio, and that she would start when you were old enough to start school; when you were four. We begged her to reconsider, but she was having none of it. She also said that if I had any contact with you, she would kill both of you.

"I boarded a plane to Turkey that night, and that was that. Janine sent me photo's and regular emails, but that was it, until you turned up in Russia a few months back."

.

.

I was stunned.

.

.

I was actually speechless.

.

.

It was a while before any of us said anything. "Rose?" My mother was looking at me cautiously. I saw my dad looking at me in the same way, and I felt Dimitri's eyes on me as well.

"I...Just give me a minute." I got up and rushed into the kitchen, not sure what to make of what I'd just learnt.

"Roza!" I heard the only voice I wanted to hear at the moment following me. I turned around and he pulled me close. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his neck, taking comfort from the smell of him. He moved one arm from around my waist and stroked my hair, calming me down and allowing my mind to sort through what I had just been told.

"I never knew." I whispered. "That's just so unfair." He kissed my hair, and tightened his grip on me.

"I know, Roza. I know." It was all starting to make sense now.

"That's why she hated me." I remembered how she had called me in to see her a few times, and how she always seemed to hate me. "She...she threatened to kill me. She didn't even know me, I wasn't even alive, and she wanted...she wanted..." I shuddered. I never liked her, but I didn't think she wanted to KILL me!

"Roza, she can't hurt you know. Even if she wasn't dead, I would never let her hurt you. You know that, right?" I nodded. I knew Dimitri would never let anything happen to me, and I would do the same for him.

"I love you." I murmured, and he rested his cheek against the back of my head.

"I love you too, Roza." We stayed like that for a few moments, and I looked up when I heard a knock on the doorframe, but I didn't let go of Dimitri. If anything, I pulled myself closer. Both my mom and my dad were in the door way. They looked worried.

"That's why I hate Tasha for what she did. Not only did she threaten the life of my only daughter, but she separated the two of you. And I know how that feels." I looked at my father, and I saw him in a whole new light. He wasn't a scary pirate-mobster. Well, ok, he still was, but I also saw the man who had to leave his future wife and unborn baby, not seeing them again until 18 years later.

Hang on...

"So the first time you'd seen me was in Russia?"

"Well, I had photos, but in the flesh, yes." That took some time for me to get my head around.

"But you didn't seem like a man just meeting his daughter for the first time. Although, I've never seen that, I just assumed...Why were you angry with me?"

He gave me the wry smile "I was annoyed that you had run away from the Academy. And I had the Alchemists following you, so I knew about the string of dead bodies behind you. Your mother had told me when you left, and what had happened. I'm not stupid Rose. Anyone could take one look at you and know...what happened." We held each other closer at this. "I didn't want that for my little girl. You also reminded me of your mother. Yes, you look like me, but you have her temper." It was too much to take in. My mind was spinning with hundreds of questions, and I just blurted the first one out,

"Why didn't you tell me when you saw me?"

Abe smiled again, "Don't you think you had enough on your plate without a man you'd never seen before telling you he is your father." It made sense. I looked at my mother. She was very quiet, and suddenly looked much older that she actually was.

"Why didn't _you_ tell me anything?" Her eyes met mine, and she looked very tired.

"You were too young. I didn't want to burden you." It was a stupid reason. I thought it was more likely that she didn't see me for long enough to explain everything. That thought led to my next question,

"How come you never visited? I saw you, what, twice before I ran away? You didn't send any letters, no birthday cards, nothing." I was past being angry now. I just wanted to know.

"I...Tatiana came and found me the day after I sent you there. She said...she said if I had any contact with you...she would...she would...she said if she couldn't have Ibrahim...I couldn't have him either...And you were, are, half of him...she wanted to...but I told her she promised if he left, we would live...she said she monitored my contact with the Academy. If I sent you anything, visited you, had any contact with you, she would send her guardians and...I couldn't, I just couldn't..." She was fighting tears, and Abe pulled her into his side. She hid her face in his shoulder, and he put his arm around her shoulder.

I really could not believe this. That woman had not only ruined both my parents' lives, but she had ruined mine. I never got to know my parents. I had always thought my dad was a lowlife, one of those Moroi men who used dhampir women to get what they want. I thought my mother regretted having me, that I ruined her life, her career, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

I untangled myself from Dimitri and walked over to my mom. She moved away from my dad and pulled me into a tight hug. Woah, she was strong considering she was at least a head shorter than me. She broke away and dried her eyes.

"Sorry." She laughed, trying to diffuse the tension with humour. My dad gave me a brief hug and said,

"I think we'd better leave now. You've had enough drama for one day." He kissed me on my forehead, took my mom's hand and led her towards the door. We followed them to the door, and said our goodbyes. Before they left, my mother gave me another hug, and whispered,

"I'm really sorry Rose. I've been a terrible mother."

"No. No you haven't. You did what mothers are supposed to do. You protected your child." She sniffed, and smiled at me. They left then, and I shut the door behind them. I just stood there, looking at the door.

Well, that was weird.

"Roza?" I turned around and saw Dimitri standing right behind me. "Are you ok?" I nodded, but still felt odd. He hugged me again, and I rested my head on his chest, glad I had someone with me.

He pulled me onto the sofa, and let me sort through what I had learnt. I snapped out of my musings about an hour after my parents had left.

"Well," Dimitri looked at me, surprised I had spoken after nearly an hour of silence. "I wasn't expecting that." I stretched, pushed him so he was lying down and rested back against him. He put one of his hands low on my hips, and I held the other one tightly. I reached behind me and twirled his silky hair around my fingers, resting my head against his neck. We stayed like that for a while, both of us looking at the ceiling, lost in thought.

My stomach rumbling brought us back to reality, and I got up, needing to eat. I really couldn't be bothered to cook a bog dinner, so I just made some omlets. It was harder to concentrate that it usually would have, what with Dimitri standing behind me, sucking on my neck and nibbling my ear. We wolfed down our dinner and he picked me up bridal style and was carrying me to our bedroom, when a knock on the door cut of my giggles.

We both looked at the door. "Shall we leave it?" I really hoped he said yes, but a voice cut him off,

"Rose? Dimitri? I know you're in there! Rose! I have a spare key! I _will_ come in!" We stayed silent. " ROSE!" I sighed and turned to Dimitri,

"Alright comrade, put me down." He sighed, but put me down. I stomped over to the door and wrenched it open, pissed that she had chosen _that_ moment to interrupt.

"What?" She looked up at me, amused.

"That's no way to talk to your queen, Rosemarie." I scowled at her, but let her in anyway. "Did I interrupt anything?"

"No-"

"Yes, you did actually." I interrupted Dimitri, really pissed off. "So hurry up, so I can get back to my Russian." Dimitri blushed, but didn't say anything.

"Fine, I'll be quick." She looked at Dimitri, and he looked as if he wished the floor to swallow him whole, still embarrassed. I scowled at her again, but she grinned. "I've got what you asked me to get." I just looked confused, but she was giving me a meaningful look.

Suddenly it clicked. "Oh! Thanks, could I come and pick it up tomorrow?" I didn't want Dimitri sniffing about, and I was planning on giving it to him later anyway.

"Sure. I just wanted to come and tell you." Now I was annoyed.

"And you couldn't have sent me a text? You _had_ to come here in person?" At least Lissa had the decency to look sheepish.

"I was on my way back from a meeting, and I thought I'd tell you in person...And I was going to talk to you about tomorrow, but, erm, you're busy, so I'll leave you to it." She winked at me, and turned to leave.

"Hang on." She looked at me, "What do you mean, talk about tomorrow?"

"It's Friday tomorrow."

"And?" I knew what day of the week it was.

"You start your new job." Oh, I remember now.

"Oh yeah. Ok, come over in the morning. I don't start 'till the afternoon, right?" She nodded, and smiled before leaving quickly. As soon as I heard the door click shut, I turned and all but ran at Dimitri.

Our mouths fused together and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He started to walk us to the bedroom, but staggered a few times. I think it had something to do with me pulling his hair.

***M scene***

He pulled us into our bedroom, and I was all prepared for a night of hot, passionate sex, but when he put me down, the look he gave me was so intense it made my knees weak. He pulled me close and the kiss he gave me was so sweet it was almost unbearable. He backed us up against the bed, and lifted me up so I could lie down. He climbed on top of me, and I leaned up and kissed him. It was slow and intense, and I was certain that there would never be anyone else for me.

He lifted my top over my head, and explored every inch of the exposed skin with his lips, sending shocks through my body. When he had finished, I did the same to him, tracing the contours of his perfectly sculpted chest with my tongue, and tasting every inch of him. He moved away to take off the rest of his clothing, and I pulled him back to me, not wanting him to be away from me, ever. He pulled off the rest of my clothes, and spread my legs, licking me just how I liked, his tongue pumping in and out of me, flicking that spot...but I needed to kiss him. God, it felt amazing, but I needed to kiss him.

I pulled his face up to mine, and kissed him as hard as I could. He was a bit surprised, and nearly fell on me, but kissed me back just as hard. He put his hands on my hips, and slowly thrust into me. I gasped, and threw my head back. He smiled, and kissed my neck, while it tried not to climax then and there. He thrust in and out of me, each time getting harder and deeper.

I moaned, and reattached my mouth to his, his tongue moving against mine in time with his thrusting. The intensity was unbearable, and he muttered sweet nothings against my mouth, switching between Russian and English seamlessly.

I was once again reminded that he was an uber-fit guardian, as he continued to make love to me for hours, proving his amazing stamina. I slid my hands all over his muscular back, keeping him as close to me as I could. The room was full of his scent, and I remembered what Adrian had said about perspiration mixed with someone's scent, and God, Dimitri was sexy when he was sweating. Our hot bodies were pressed together, no space in between us, moving against one another.

Suddenly, he sped up, thrusting in and out of me impossibly fast, causing me to lose purchase on his lips. I gasped as he went, impossibly, deeper, and he put his mouth in the crook of my neck. He moved his hands underneath me, one on my upper back, and the other just above my arse. I was surrounded by him, and I was oh so close...he pulled right out of me, and pushed into me hard, pulling me closer with his hands. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and my legs around his waist as we came, together. We were both a shaking mess, but refused to relax our grip on one another.

I kissed every available part of him until he stopped shaking. He slid out of me, and we both groaned at the loss of contact.

***End of M scene***

He rolled us onto our side, but we didn't move apart. Dimitri fell asleep almost instantly, but I stayed awake a while longer.

I never knew that Tatiana hated my mother so much. It was scary what a royal Moroi could make their guardians do. It suddenly dawned on me why my mother over reacted when I was talking to Adrian, and why she reacted the way she did when Dimitri was...taken. She slapped me, told me to run, save myself. She told me that running in and getting myself killed is not what he would have wanted. I now knew that that is what she had told herself when my dad was sent away.

I never realised that I could have talked to her about my problems. She wouldn't have been ecstatic that the person I was in love with was my mentor, but she would have understood what it felt like to know you couldn't have the man you love.

It was strange how one day could change everything. Yesterday, I thought my mother thought I was a failure, that she was ashamed of me. I had come to accept it, but it still hurt. I now know that both my parents love me, and had given up each other so I was safe. It was quite over whelming. Dimitri shifted in his sleep, and I looked at him. I studied his god-like features, his perfectly angular nose, his strong jaw, his luscious lips, pulled into an almost smile that he had when sleeping, swollen from hours of kissing, and I knew that I would do absolutely anything for him. Anything at all. I rested my head back on his chest. The knowledge that there is someone who would do absolutely anything for you, no questions asked is an overwhelming thing. I knew I would do anything for Dimitri, but I also knew he would do anything for me.

I fell asleep, wrapped up in the man I loved arms', with a smile on my face.

**What do you think? And what should happen next? Any suggestions will be appreciated :) x**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, thanks for all the reviews :) sorry about the delay, exam season is horrible :( xx**

My eyelids fluttered open, and I had that feeling. You know, that feeling of utter contentment, knowing everything was perfect.

I felt a kiss on my shoulder, and I knew that the reason for that feeling was awake too.

"Why are you smiling?" He asked, his voice soft and low. I became aware of his arms wrapped around my waist. My back was against his chest, and our legs were tangled together.

"Because you're here." I said, twisting my head so I could kiss him. "What's the time?" The curtains were closed and I was facing away from the clock, so I had no idea.

"Gone ten." He said, slowly kissing his way up and down my neck. I groaned,

"Lissa will be here soon." He tightened his grip on me,

"So?" I tried to get up, but he pulled me back down. I twisted in his arms, and I felt his 'morning wood' against my stomach.

"Need to rub one out there comrade? Or are you _really_ pleased to see me." He growled, and rolled on top of me. He trapped my bottom lip in his teeth, and moved his hands down to my bum, squeezing before slipping one of his fingers along my clit. He growled again,

"You're so wet already Roza." I giggled, and he thrust his finger into me, turning it into a moan. He laughed against my mouth, but stopped when I reached between us and fondled his shaft. In fact, he grew quite still, and closed his eyes before moving his finger faster in and out of me, making my hand speed up. He released my mouth, but captured my earlobe in his mouth, sucking and flicking it with his tongue while I knotted my fingers on my free hand in his hair.

I was fully prepared to fool around the whole morning, but the sound of footsteps in the hall way made us stop. Dimitri fell to half-mast in my hand, and we both stopped moving our fingers.

"Rose? Dimitri? I did knock, but there was no answ- OH GOD!" Lissa had just opened the door, and I could imagine what she was seeing; clothes all over the floor, the muscular, still sweaty back of Dimitri, his mouth on my ear and my flushed face next to his, one hand tangled in his hair, and the other one suspiciously out of sight.

"LISS!" She covered her eyes and backed out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Dimitri groaned, and buried his face in my neck; I could feel the heat of his blush on my skin. "She _had_ to walk in then." I sighed, but tightened my grip on his deflating erection. Unsurprisingly, it sprung to attention with my touch. "Do you think we should carry on?" I grinned at him, and started to suck on his neck, making him shiver and grow in my hand.

He groaned and rolled off me, stumbling into the bathroom, probably to have a cold shower. I laughed, but got up too, pulling on his discarded shirt and going to the open door.

"Yes?" Lissa was bright red, and her eyes were wide.

"God, I think I need therapy!" I smirked,

"At least you didn't walk in a few minutes later. It would have been even worse." She went even redder, and hid her face in her hands. I held out my hand. "Give me the spare key." She handed it over with no fuss, seemingly glad to get rid of it.

"When you are, erm, ready, I'll be in the living room." She avoided my eyes, but I just laughed and said,

"Don't worry. I just need to get dressed. Dimitri's having a cold shower." She looked scandalised, and hurried into the living room.

I was standing in my underwear, hunting for my jeans when I felt strong arms wrap around me from behind. I turned and saw a dripping wet Dimitri. I bit my lip; I think I may need a cold shower too. He laughed, as if he had read my mind, and released me. He -dropped his towel from around his waist and walked over to his section of the wardrobe. I think I moaned out loud, because he turned and winked at me before pulling on his boxers. We got dressed quickly, just about managing to keep our hands off each other.

We walked into the living room, and I sat down. "Morning Lissa." Dimitri said, with laughter in his voice. She just blushed, which made him laugh harder. He dropped a kiss on my head before continuing into the kitchen, I assumed to make breakfast.

"Morning." I said, trying to keep a straight face. I knew I should be embarrassed, but I thought of it as pay back; I had seen Christian naked more times than I cared to remember.

"Erm, yeah. Look, er, I just wanted to run through the details of this afternoon?" She was looking anywhere but at me. I repressed another smile.

"Sure. When and where shall I meet you?" She got into her 'official' role then, and took me through what I was to do. She was half way through explaining who else was in of her entourage, when Dimitri came in with a plate of doughnuts and a cup of coffee for him. Lissa cut off her sentence and blushed and look at her hands. I grinned, and patted the space next to me on the sofa. He put the plate down and sipped his coffee, putting one arm around me and leaning back on the sofa, looking totally relaxed. I grabbed a doughnut and polished it off in record time. I ate another two before I realised that the others were giving me that weird look again.

"Real lady like Rose." I gave her the finger, and leant back on Dimitri, finishing of the last of the one in my hand.

"Mmmm, thank you." I gave him a short – but intense – kiss, and Lissa cleared her throat. "Go on then. Who else am I working with?" She stayed for a while, accepting a cup of coffee, but she had to meet some royal or other soon, so we said our goodbyes.

"See you at twelve, yeah?" I nodded, setting an alarm on my phone for quarter to. "Great. Oh, and I hope you don't mind, but I've invited everyone round mine for dinner later. And you're coming. _Both_ of you. So Dimitri, meet us at my place at seven? Rose, you'll be on duty until then anyway, so you'll be helping me set up." I groaned, but she knew I was teasing. "See you guys later."

We spent of the morning just lounging around the house, and Dimitri set up all of the internet access and landline and everything. I was painting my nails.

I met Lissa at twelve on the dot, dressed in my black and white uniform that had been delivered this morning. The red buttons looked really cool, and I got a few glances on my way over. The rest of the day was pretty boring. Lissa spent most of the day meeting with the heads of the families, discussing and finalising the arrangements for the offensive-magic being taught in schools. Surprisingly, there were quite a few Moroi who had secretly learnt how to use magic to harm, and they were more than happy to teach others. Those people would be sent to the Academy's in America, and they would teach other staff. The plan was to get offensive-magic on the curriculum worldwide by the end of the next academic year. Lissa was also rallying up spirit users in the US, and was going to hold a meeting of some sorts a few times every week. They were going to find out exactly how much spirit users could do, and hopefully get all users to be able to carry out these tasks, instead of just a few people managing to do some of them. She was also in contact with Oksana and was learning how to heal the darkness out of herself, hoping to teach others.

Basically, all I had to do was stand at the edges of the room, looking for any danger, but I was still half listening.

I don't know why, but Lissa expected it to take three hours to lay the table. And that was with me, Lissa, Christian _and_ most of her entourage. I wasn't allowed to change as I was on duty, but Lissa styled my hair and put a bit of make up on me. She also slipped me an envelope with two return plane tickets, and I hugged her. She refused when I gave her the money to pay for them, but I knew she would do that anyway; I made arrangements with Hans earlier to have it taken out of my rather large pay check – a bonus of having your best friend as your boss, and working for the queen.

People started arriving at half six, and I was surprised to see that Lissa had invited my parents along and Alberta along. I didn't have any problem with them being there or anything, and I enjoyed their company, but I didn't think Lissa would count them as 'our group' kind of thing. Eddie and I were already there, having had to help her set up, and Christian has been bumming around the suite all day. Mia arrived with Adrian. It was really awkward, and I wasn't sure what to do. Lissa had warned me that he would be there, but I had no idea how to act around him. Luckily enough, he started a conversation with Christian about something or another, so I didn't have to try and make polite small talk. When Dimitri arrived, I pulled him into the kitchen before 'eating his face off' as Lissa called it when she came in to see me glued to Dimitri's mouth, one leg wrapped round his waist and my arms hanging on to his neck for dear life. What? I hadn't seen him for _seven_ hours! And to be fair, he was just as enthusiastic as I was. Ok, I had to smoothen out my hair, and wipe lipstick off his mouth before we joined the rest of them, but it was so worth it.

Adrian totally ignored me, and shot death glares at Dimitri most of the night, but all in all, it went better than I expected. Jill had already been sent to her school, otherwise she would have joined us, and Mikhail and Sonya were 'busy', but pretty much everyone was there. My parents seemed to be closer after our little talk yesterday, and I caught Lissa looking at them out of the corner of her eye a few times; I had told her everything that happened yesterday, regarding my parents. She was just as shocked as I was, but she said she knew that there had to be a reasonable explanation for my mother's lack of contact and my father's absence.

"So, Belikov, are you a hunting man?" My father asked during the evening.

Dimitri gulped, "I wouldn't say I'm a hunting man per se, but I have hunted before, Mr Mazur." I was annoyed that my father didn't tell him to call him Abe or Ibrahim like everyone else did. My mother had asked everyone, including Dimitri to call her Janine, but I think my dad liked to see him squirm.

"Good good. How does next month sound? I will be going away for a few weeks, and then there is the matter of the trial, so after that. Yes? Good." Dimitri nodded, looking a little scared. I noticed that Adrian was smirking from the corner of the table, and I prayed that Dimitri would come back in one piece. I think I may have to have a talk with my father before I let Dimitri go.

Alberta kept sending us odd looks throughout dinner, seeming fascinated about how we interacted with one another. She openly stared when Dimitri was looking for something, but before he even said what it was, I handed it to him. I felt a bit uncomfortable. Was it wrong that I knew exactly what he needed, when he needed it?

The evening was nearing the close when she asked me to follow her into the kitchen.

"Rose, how long have you and Guardian Belikov been, ah, together?" That was strange, I was sure she already knew about us when she interviewed the others about my escape.

I told her about what happened at the Academy, leaving out the gory details, and she didn't look surprised. I asked her about this, and she said,

"It was obvious something was going on. Rose, I have known you pretty much your whole life. When you were with Belikov, you seemed different. I noticed how you acted around each other. He was more open, and you were more reserved. I think you are a good influence on him. He always was a reserved man, and I think you bring him out of his shell. Similarly, you are too impulsive for your own good. I think he has taught you to think first about jumping into things. Seeing you tonight, I have no doubt in my mind that you two are perfect for each other. You both know exactly what the other wants, and I have seen how you act when each other is in danger." She laughed at my expression when she said this. "Not tonight, but I saw how worried he was about you when you were kidnapped in Spokane, and I saw how it destroyed you when he was taken. I am glad you two seemed to have worked it out. God knows with how much you have both been through, you deserve happiness." I was touched at her words, and gave her a hug.

"Thank you. For everything." Dimitri walked in then, and I could tell he was anxious about what had taken me so long. Alberta broke away and smiled at us.

"I'll leave you two alone now. But Belikov? If you hurt her, you won't just have to answer to her parents. I will be on your back. So will Vasilisa, I am sure. Guardian Castile will back me up as well. Just beware."

"Guardian Petrov, I would never hurt Rose. But thank you for being there for her. And please, call me Dimitri." He put his arm round my waist and smiled at her.

"I know you won't, but it had to be said. And call me Alberta" She gave us a smile before leaving the room.

He pulled me against his chest, and rested his chin on my head. "What was that all about?" He asked, swaying us slightly.

"She asked about us. I told her what happened at the Academy, and she said she was glad we had found each other." I said, kissing his neck. He moved his head down to my level, and I met him half way, pressing my lips to his. It was just picking up in intensity when Lissa interrupted,

"Wow, you guys really cannot keep your hands off each other." We broke apart, and I smiled at her.

"You always chose the worst moments to interrupt, don't you?" I pecked Dimitri on the lips before untangling myself, and pulling him by the hand back into the living room to join everyone else.

Adrian scowled at our joined hands, but didn't comment. Mia was the first to leave, and Eddie followed soon after. I think something was going on there, but I didn't want to stick my nose in and make things awkward. Alberta left next, and my parents followed soon after. Yep, _defiantly_ something going on there. We left next. I was finding it harder and harder to keep my hands off Dimitri, and the intense looks he gave me really were not helping.

As soon as we got out of Lissa's apartment block, I attacked him, pushing him up against the wall, and kissing him hungrily. He pulled me flush against him, and I could feel that he was enjoying this just as much as I was. I was about to reach down and show my appreciation of his kisses, but I felt the envelope in my pocket. I broke away, and pulled him towards our apartment.

"Rose?" I felt a bit bad; I was a cock blocker. So I turned around and we stopped in the middle of the pavement. It was late, but the sun still hadn't risen, so I could only see him by the light of the streetlamp.

I reached into my pocket, and handed him the envelope. "Happy Birthday, comrade."

"My birthday isn't for another we-" He cut off when he actually read what was written on the tickets. "Roza?"

I grinned, "I have arranged two weeks off for both of us, and we are going to visit your family. I know how much you miss them, and they miss you too. In fact, they think you're still dead, so I thought you'd want to spend your birthday with them. We both need a break, and I cleared it with Lissa and Christian. We leave tomorrow afternoon...Dimitri?" He hadn't said anything for a while, and I was getting a bit worried.

"We are going to see my family?" He said, his voice quiet and soft. I nodded,

"Is that ok?"

I was taken by surprise when he wrapped his arms around my waist, lifted me up and spun me around. "Roza!" He laughed, and set me back down, keeping me close. "Thank you. Thank you so much. This is the most perfect present anyone has ever given me." He buried his face in my hair and I grinned.

"I'm glad you like it." I whispered, kissing him on the cheek.

He held me close for a while, and I noticed someone watching from the shadows. My dhampir eyes could make out Adrian standing just behind a lamppost, watching our exchange. I started to feel guilty, but I knew that I wasn't the one for him; he just didn't know it yet.

Dimitri straightened up, and all thoughts of Adrian were gone. On his face was a huge smile and his eyes were full of love. "Thank you Roza." He leaned down and kissed me. I threw my arms around his neck, and felt his tongue running along my bottom lips, begging entrance. I opened my mouth and our tongues danced, mixing our tastes together. I pulled back first, and grabbed him by the hand, pulling him towards our apartment.

We took the lift, not able to keep our hands off each other. I really wanted to do it in the lift, but Dimitri refused to take his trousers off in case someone came in. We staggered in the door, just managing to close it behind us before he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder before rushing into the bedroom.

***M scene***

He threw me down on the bed, and ripped my shirt off, the buttons flying everywhere. I was about to complain, but his lips cut off any chance of talking. I slid my hands under his shirt and up his back, digging my nails in when he sucked on my neck. I reached around the front and undid all his buttons, throwing his shirt to the floor and running my hands up and down his chest.

He shivered and continued to kiss my neck and shoulder while I felt every inch of his chest and back, knowing I would never tire of the way his skin felt under my hands. He reached down and pulled off my trousers, and I returned the favour, desperately trying to get closer to him. He kissed his way down my collarbone, paying special attention to my pulse point, while slipping my bra off, throwing it over his shoulder.

He pulled my breast into his mouth roughly, sucking hard. I tightened my grip on his forearms at this, making me cry out. I slid my hands back down his body and ran them under his boxer elastic, squeezing his firm arse before moving my hands round and tracing patterns on his cock, feeling him swell in my hands. He groaned against my breast, the vibrations making me buck my hips into his, trying to cause the friction I desperately needed. He released me and blew on the hot trail his mouth had made, making me shiver and groan in pleasure

He ran his lips down my skin, stopping to dip him tongue in my naval, a thing I wouldn't think would make me moan, but it did. He kissed my core through my soaked panties, and groaned when he tasted my wetness. He slipped them to one side with his teeth, and lapped at my juices, making me cry out over and over. He sucked hard on my clit before he moved away, manoeuvring my last item of clothing down my legs and throwing it over his shoulder. I pushed his boxers down with my hands, and used my feet to help him kick them off.

I studied the amazing specimen of a man before me. His tanned skin shone with a thin layer of sweat, caused with the effort of not coming then and there. His whole body was very muscular, from the bulging biceps of his arms, to his lean thighs. His chest really was perfectly sculpted, not too much muscle like body builders, but more natural looking wash-board abs, perfect pecs and a delicious V. Not too much chest hair like, I don't know, Simon Cowel? But the light sprinkling trailing down his chest was enough to cause delicious friction and still look manly and sexy, making me wetter thinking about it. He had the biggest cock I had ever seen. Ok, his was the _only_ one I had ever seen, but I had sex ed lessons and everything. The average size of a non erect penis is about 5", but Dimitri measured around a good 6 and a half. When fully erect, it's at least 10", and about 6" thick. He really was a fine specimen of a man.

But it wasn't just his well endowed body that made him perfect. I loved everything about him. He's the most caring man I have ever met, and would do anything for the people he loves. He's clever, and funny, sexy and serious, and well, he was just amazing. I stared up into his chocolate eyes, hooded in lust, but I could also see the wonder and the love shinning through. I leaned up and kissed him passionately. He was so into it that I was able to roll us over, so I was on top. I had always wanted to do this, not that previous sex with Dimitri hadn't been amazing, but it was just something I wanted to do.

I straddled his hip, rocking back and forwards, making him moan into my mouth. I released his lips and kissed my way over to his earlobe, nibbling and licking whilst lifting myself up so I was up on my knees. Dimitri knew what I wanted, so he moved his hands to my hips and lined himself up. I could feel his tip just teasing my entrance, slick with both of our juices. I released his ear and sat back up, resting my hands on his bent knees behind me, arching my back and giving him a great view of my breasts. I eased down onto him, still getting used to his size.

"Oh God Roza! You're so tight!" He moaned, throwing his head back and making me even wetter.

I waited until he was balls deep before I removed his hands from knees and placed them on his chest. I lifted myself up so he was half in, half out before he bucked up and thrust into me more powerfully than ever. I moaned loudly, and he gasped, both of us throwing our heads back. I lifted up and bounced back on him, repeating the sensation. I went on to ride him, hard and fast, making him go deeper with every stroke. He thrust his hip up to meet mine; creating a speed I never thought could be reached.

I moved my hands so they were over his head, and he watched my boobs bounce as he fucked me hard. He moved one of his hands from my hips and made little circles on my clit, making my cry out his name. He picked up the pace; thrusting into me harder and deeper and faster, making me bounce above him faster. I could feel he was already there, but he was waiting so we could climax together. He leaned up and took one of my breasts into his mouth, making me groan and bounce back on him. He moaned as he sucked and licked, the vibrations heading straight to my core. I was so close, and he knew it. I sat back up and rocked my hips in time to his thrusting,

"Oh fuck Roza! Yes, right there! Oh, God! Yes like that! Ugh!" He spilled into me. The sensation of his pulsating cock pumping on and out of me, and his fingers still rotating in little circles, and the feeling of my rocking my hips sent me over, screaming out his name and making my toes curl.

We rode out the waves together, and eventually slowed, our breathing still heavy. I sat up on my knees so he could slid out of me, but I lay back down on his chest, my legs still straddling his hips. I could still feel him shaking beneath me, his body slick with sweat.

***End of M scene***

He kissed my forehead before laughing breathlessly.

"What?" I murmured, snuggling into him.

"God, I love you." I kissed him on his neck, and he wrapped his arms around my waist, keeping me close.

"You love me because we have great sex?" I asked, teasing.

"Yes...No...That's not the only reason, but it helps. I'm just thinking that I am the luckiest man alive. I not only get an extremely sexy woman and we _do_ have great sex, but she loves me back." I looked up at him and saw him looking down at me, his eyes full of wonder. "You really are exquisite." He said, moving one hand to trail down the side of my face before tilting my head up and giving me one of the sweetest kisses.

"You're not too bad yourself, comrade." I said, grinning at him before giving him a more serious kiss.

We lay cuddled up of a while. I traced patterns on his chest and he did the same on my back. Neither of us needed to say anything, we were just basking in the post-sex glow.

"Thank you." He whispered suddenly. I looked up at him, confused.

"For what?" His hand was tracing my shoulder as he looked down at me.

"For my birthday present. You always seem to know exactly what I need, whether it is a pen, a cup of coffee, a kiss, or two plane tickets to see my family." I grinned and kissed him. "I love you Roza." He rested his forehead against mine, and we gazed into each other's eyes. I always hated it when couples did that. I thought it made them look cheesy – hell, it _sounded_ cheesy – but I got lost in his intense, loving gaze, those chocolate eyes seeing right into the very heart of me. And by the looks of things, he liked what he saw.

"I love you too." He smiled and kissed me again, before tucking my head back under his chin. We cuddled up together again, and fell asleep in each other's arms.

**Review XD xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for all the reviews :) my exams are coming to a finish now, so I'm hoping to UD more in the coming weeks**

"No...Please...No!" I turned around to see Dimitri thrashing around on the bed. In the night, we had both rolled over, and until recently, he was spooning me. But it looked like he was having another nightmare.

"Dimitri." I moved towards him, trying to get him to wake up.

"No! Please! Not her! What are you doing? Stop this! Please...Stop...No..." He was getting more and more worked up, and I was beginning to get a bit scared for him.

"Dimitri! Wake up. It's not real. Please, wake up." I tired shaking his shoulders, but he cried out. I stopped, thinking I was making it worse.

"NO! Please! Leave her! Take me...NO! Stop..." I didn't know what to do. He was thrashing even more, and I was scared he might hurt himself. I needed to wake him up, so I slapped him around the face. It did the trick, but my face hurt, as if someone had hit me. "Rose? What...Oh." He sat up and looked around. "It was a dream."

I pulled him into my arms and held him close.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, kissing the spot on his cheek where I had struck him.

"Roza-" He choked. He buried his face into my hair as I stroked his, trying to comfort him.

Eventually, his breathing evened out. He sighed, and tried to move away.

"Don't." I whispered, and pulled him back to me. I moved us so we were lying down, his head resting on my chest. It was really early in the morning, and I knew we should get some more sleep, but by the sounds of his breathing, he wasn't going to sleep anytime soon, and I wasn't about to let him wallow. I was still stroking his hair when I said softly, "Tell me about it."

"I can't-" I cut him off by putting one of my fingers over his lips.

"I need to understand. Please, tell me about it." I continued to stroke his hair as I moved my other hand to hold his. He was silent such a long time I thought I'd have to ask him again, but he sighed and said,

"I was Strigoi. I was...I was watching myself as a...as that monster." He sounded so sad and pained; it broke my heart.

"Tell me everything. Who was the girl? You kept saying 'not her'. Who was she?" I desperately wanted to let him forget about it, for him to smile again, and we'd go back to sleep and everything would be ok. But I knew that unless he talked about it, he would always be haunted by those images. If he needed it, I could arrange for him to see someone, but I'd much rather help the man I love sort through his problems myself.

"You." He whispered it so quietly I almost missed it. "I was...I was watching myself put you through all of...all of...all of _that_...oh God, I'm a monster." He buried his face back into my neck. I kissed him on the back of his head before saying,

"Dimitri, you are not a monster. A monster is someone who hurts people and is glad about it, not feeling any remorse, nor feeling any sadness about what they'd done. You are not a monster." I knew he was never a monster, but I needed him to see for himself. "I was the one who hesitated. I didn't free you from the life you had been forced to live. I didn't save you. I failed. And I'm so sorry I wasn't strong enough to save you from those memories." The fact that I hesitated when I first saw him as a Strigoi is one of the things I regret most. Of course, I am ecstatic that he is back, and I probably would have thrown myself off a bridge or building, but I should have staked him. I was weak, and my weakness caused him unnecessary pain. "But this, feeling the guilt and remorse and sadness, this proved you are not a monster."

"Rosa, you are **not** to blame!" He lifted his head from my neck and looked me straight in the eye, our noses touching. "I have no idea how you found the strength to get out of bed in the morning, let alone hunt me down. If...if the same thing happened to you...God, I don't know what I would do. And I cannot thank you enough for hesitating. If you hadn't, I would not be right here with you." He used his free hand to stroke my face and I squeezed the other one. "You have nothing to apologise for. I...I just, find it hard to come to terms with...with what I did to you. I will never, _never_ forget that, and I will show you everyday how much I love you, how different I am from that monster."

I smiled, and he realised what he just said. "Oh." I moved my head forward slightly and captured his lips in a small kiss,

"Told you. See, you are _not_ a monster. And you don't need to prove it to me every day. I _know_ you are not a monster." I kissed him again. "I love you. Now, go to sleep." I pulled the covers higher around us and wrapped my arms around him. He leaned his head back down on my chest.

"I love you, Roza." I smiled into the darkness.

"I know." I said, pressing a kiss to his forehead and we fell asleep once again.

I woke up to the sight of the most beautiful man in the world lying across my chest, the sunlight causing his hair to have a golden shine, and his skin to glow. I stayed there, watching his chest rise and fall with his breathing and memorising the planes of his face. During the night, he had kicked the covers down, so they now lay just above his perfect buttocks, teasing me with the muscles twisting out of sight.

He tightened his grip on my waist and opened one eye. In seeing I was awake he rolled over, pulling me onto his chest in the process. He cut off my squeals with an intense kiss, leaving me breathless.

"Good morning." I gasped and he laughed, sitting up and moving so he was resting his back against the head board. I was still resting on his chest, and he trailed his fingers up and down my spine.

I peppered his neck with kisses, working my way along his jaw line. He looked down at me, his eyes full of hunger, causing butterflies in my stomach.

***M rated scene***

His mouth descended on mine, kissing me hungrily. I rose so I was on my knees, giving me better access to his mouth. I knotted my fingers in his hair while his hands rested on my lower back, pulling me closer. He moved his mouth down to my neck and I saw a rather large tenting in the bed sheets draped around his waist.

I pulled his mouth back to mine and ran my hands up and down his chest, slowly removing the offending piece of material. Wow, he was _very_ pleased this morning. I moved my hand lower, ghosting my fingers up and down his shaft, making him shiver and buck into my hand. I bit down on his lower lip as I tightened my grip, causing him to groan into my mouth and swell in my hand. I knew we were going to visit his family today and it would be weird to have sex in his mother's house, so this was probably going to be the last time we were _together_ for a while.

I released his cock and rested my hands on his shoulders, straddling his hips to give me better access to his mouth. He gripped my lower hips, making small circles with his thumbs. I slowly lowered myself so I could just feel his tip sliding along my wetness. He groaned again and tried to buck his hips up. I moved away and smiled into his mouth. I continued the teasing for a while, before the need got too much. I slowly lowered myself onto his cock, both of us groaning the deeper I went. Finally, he was totally in, and I was sitting on his lap, our chests and noses touching.

I moved my hands on his shoulders so they were wrapped around his neck, playing with the hair at the base of his neck. He ran his hands along my arse and thighs, repeating the circuit once he got to my knees. I was sure he could feel me trembling, but I could also see the goose bumps along his arms. It was scary the effect we had on each other. I tilted my head slightly and captured his bottom lips in mine, starting a slow and passionate kiss. He tightened his grip on my arse and I pulled on his hair, melting his mouth into mine.

We made out for a while, but I could feel him throbbing inside me, and God, I needed more. I rocked my hips suddenly, and his fingers bit into me, the pain feeling _really_ good. I moved my mouth down to his neck as I rocked my hips fast, feeling him twitch and grow inside me with every movement. He used his hands to lift me up slightly, before thrusting his hips up hard to meet me. I cried out, my head falling back and my hands fisting in his hair. He nibbled along my collar bone and I felt myself getting wetter. I wanted to ride him hard and fast, but I didn't want to pull his gorgeous hair out, so I gripped onto his shoulders and rocked my hips again. He bucked into me again as I pushed back down on him. We continued to slam into each other as our moans and curses filled the room. It was moments like this that I was glad we didn't have neighbours on this floor.

I felt his hand slide between us, rubbing gently at my swollen flesh, and I cried out again, causing my back to arch, sending my breast right into his waiting mouth. He sucked and lapped, and I could feel myself getting closer. Oh, I was so close and he knew it. He moved his mouth up to my neck, and sucked on my pulse point while simultaneously pinching my aching clit.

Good God he was good at this.

My thighs clenched and I felt him fill me completely as the heat shot through me. Electric pulses shot along every nerve ending as a white hot flash filled my vision and I exploded in sweet, sweet release.

He tipped his head up, capturing my lips and swallowing my screams. I felt him thrust harshly twice more before his own orgasm claimed him. I collapsed against his chest, spent and relaxed as our breathing slowly returned to normal.

***End of M scene***

I nibbled along his jaw line, massaging him bulging biceps. He squeezed my hips and said,

"Good morning." I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Mmmm..._very_ good morning." I said, my lips against his neck.

We stayed like that for a while before I noticed the time on the clock.

"We need to start packing soon comrade." I murmured. He kissed my shoulder and pulled me tighter before unwrapping his arms from my waist. I kissed him again before climbing off him and stumbling into the wardrobe, still feeling the effects of Dimitri's amazing body. He laughed when he saw me stagger into the door frame and came over to help me.

"Careful Roza." He laughed, wrapping his arms round my waist.

I pulled on my skinny jeans and a spaghetti-strap top before turning to find Dimitri dressed in his jeans and a tightly fitting band top, showing off his perfectly sculpted chest. I was itching to jump his bones then and there, but our flight was at five. He saw me gawking at him and winked before packing some clothes. I scowled at his back, annoyed that I only got a wink.

We teased each other whilst packing, him purposely rubbing against me, me throwing my lingerie at him and so on and so forth. It was strange to see him acting so free and joking around, I mean, the Dimitri I knew was always so serious; the new Dimitri was light hearted and was often giving me those smiles that made me knees weak. I felt all the more besotted by him and, if possible, I think I loved him even more.

We were ready and packed by twelve, and Lissa had arranged a car to take us to the airport at half past, so there was just enough time for brunch. We bundled all our stuff into the lift when we received a call, telling us that the car was waiting. I have to admit, I thought Lissa had arranged a limo or something, but I was relieved when I saw a black SUV waiting. Dimitri refused to let me help put the suitcases in the boot, so I went to sit in the back. He joined me soon after, and we snuggled up together for the journey. I had told Lissa that we were to fly commercial, and not sit in business class or anything, but of course, she had paid for an upgrade to first class, and had checked us in online, meaning we could get on the plane fast. Oh well, it was her money she was wasting.

We got rid of our baggage and wondered around the duty free for a few hours before our flight was called. I had never flown first class before, and I was surprised at the difference. There was loads more leg room, the seats were more comfortable and the food was actually quite nice.

It was quite a long flight, so we watched a movie for the first few hours, but I have to admit, I had no idea what it was about; Dimitri's hand was trailing up and down my leg, getting further and further up the inside of my thigh as he went. Well, two could play at that game. I leaned over and nibbled on his earlobe, ghosting my hand over the bulge in his pants. I carried on for a while, speeding up my actions as I felt his grow under my touch until I was certain he was nursing a full hard on, then I stopped.

"Cock tease." He muttered under his breath, trying to rearrange himself. I giggled, but I was quite uncomfortable myself. I really needed a release, and as I was trying to take my mind of the wetness pooling in my panties, I looked up and saw the light telling me that the toilet was free. It was like a light bulb went off in my head.

I leaned back over and whispered in his ear, "Hey comrade, fancy joining the mile high club?"

The shock on his face nearly made me burst out laughing. He cleared his throat and nodded, fidgeting in his seat. I kissed him on his cheek.

"Meet me in the first class toilet in a few minutes." I got up and sauntered to the bathroom at the back of first class. The toilet was no more fancy that the others, and there was no more room, but it was closer to the first class section. I put the toilet seat down and sat there, waiting for my gorgeous Russian. After 136 seconds, there was a quiet knock on the door. I opened it to see a flushed Dimitri waiting there, excitement shining in his eyes. I pulled him in and locked the door.

***M rated scene***

I grinned and pulled his lips to mine, getting lost in his hungry kisses. He made quick work of my top, pinching my nipples through my black lacy bra. I threw my head back and tried to hold back the moan that was building in my throat. He kissed at my neck and I could feel him smiling. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him close. I moved my hands down to his jeans, undoing the buttons and slipping my hands inside his boxers.

I could feel his breath coming faster and faster on my neck, and he pulled my bra so my breasts were spilling out the top, my pink nipples standing erect over the top of the black lace, teasing him, begging him to take them into his mouth. Of course, he complied. I hissed and tightened my grip, causing him to bite down on my nipple to stop himself groaning. I gasped and threw my head back, resting it against the thin wall.

He seemed very content sucking and lapping at my breasts, so I removed my hands form his boxers and undid my jeans, pulling them down to my knees. He did the same with his, his mouth still attached to my chest. He swiped his fingers over my wet panties, moaning quietly against my skin.

I pulled his mouth back to mine, and we removed each other's underwear, not being able to wait any longer. He slid into me easily, my wetness almost making it _too_ easy. We moaned into each other's mouths, revelling in the feeling of being connected. He hitched my legs around his hips, sitting me on the wash basin. He thrust in and out of me fast, pushing us both close to the edge in record time. My hands slid under his top, trailing up his abs to his nipples. I made small circles with my thumbs and he hissed into my mouth, making my smile against his lips.

His hands moved down to my clit, flicking it with his fingers. That removed the smile from my lips. My head fell forward with the effort of not screaming, resting on his shoulders while he continued to pump in and out of me, flicking my clit, sucking on my neck, hitting _that_ spot with every thrust...

I buried my head into his neck, his skin drowning out my screams. He buried his face in my hair as he joined me, both of us riding out the waves.

We collapsed against each other, our energy drained. He slid out of me and we hurried to get dressed, aware that we had been in here for quite a while, and might start to raise suspicion.

***End of M scene***

I pulled my top back over my head and kissed him on his lips before sliding out the door. I scanned the surroundings and, thankfully, no one seemed to have noticed. I looked to my right and saw an old woman grinning at me. She handed me a mirror, and I saw that my hair screamed 'recently sexed'. I blushed and smoothed it down. I thanked her and walked away.

"Oh, to be young and in love." I heard her mutter, too low for human ears but no problem for mine to pick up. I blushed again, but was grateful no one _else_ seemed to have noticed.

I settled back into my seat, and a few minutes later, Dimitri joined me. We shared a secret smile, and I leaned over to kiss him before snuggling in his arms for the rest of the flight.

I hadn't realised I'd fallen asleep until the captain announced that we were nearing St Petersburg and could we fasten our seat belts please. I yawned as I sat up, stretching before plugging back in. I grabbed hold of Dimitri's hand and he rested his head against my shoulder. I could tell he was nervous about seeing his family again, and I knew he was trying to fight the memories of the last time he was in Russia.

We were ushered off the plane and grabbed our bags, Dimitri having to lead the way; I didn't speak Russian. He was the one that had to rent a car as well and, even after me practically begging, he got into the driver's seat. It was a three hour drive to Baia, and I passed the time flicking through the radio stations, trying to find music that was released in the past ten years or so. An hour and a half later, and the closest I had come was music from the late eighties. I gave up and just listened to some band singing about a dancing monarch. I mean, don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of 80's rock, like AC/DC, Joan Jett, Bon Jovi, Queen, Aerosmith, Guns 'N' Roses etc, but I _despise_ 80's pop.

Dimitri fought a smile at my mutterings, telling me these were 'classics' and ADDA or whatever was a great band. Apparently they won Europe-vision or something? To be honest, I really didn't care.

However, the crap music didn't put a dampener on our good moods. I was excited about seeing the other Belikovs again, and I was happy that Dimitri was happy. I was looking at the beautiful scenery, when I felt Dimitri take my hand. I looked at him as saw that he really was over the moon. I smiled back at him and kissed out joined hands, squeezing his fingers.

He turned onto the familiar road, leading to his home town. I could feel his anxiety move up a notch, and I squeezed his hand reassuringly. As far as his family were concerned, Dimitri was either still a Strigoi or, depending if Yeva had told her family why I came to Russia in the first place, dead. We had talked about it on the plane, and I was to go to his family first and prepare them, and then bring Dimitri back to them. He parked the car just down the road from his house, and let out a deep breath. I leaned over and kissed him.

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Yeva will probably have seen me coming, and I know she will believe me when I tell her. And even if they don't, you can't deny the proof." I kissed him again. "I love you."

"I love you." He said back, resting his forehead against mine. We stayed like that for a few moments before I said,

"I'd better get going. I know you want to see your family." I kissed his nose. "I'll be back soon."

I hopped out of the car and walked over to the familiar front door. I had no idea what they thought of me. I mean, I left without a goodbye, and I doubted Yeva had passed on my message. There was also the slight problem of two sisters hating me. Oh well, this was for Dimitri. If I had to, I would spend most of my time avoiding everybody.

I took a deep breath and knocked.

**Let me know what you think :) any ideas for what they should do in Baia?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry I've taken so long to UD, things have been so busy here. So, here's chapter 7 :)**

I heard some people shouting in Russian behind the door, and the sound of footsteps approaching from inside the house made my heart race. Why was I so nervous? Because I had to tell them that their son, grandson, brother and uncle who I said was dead, wasn't, and explain how someone could be brought back from the dead. Oh, because I was sure they would all hate me.

Olena opened the door, still looking over her shoulder and talking to someone in Russian. She turned to look at me, and immediately stopped talking.

"Rose!" She switched to English and pulled me into a bone crushing hug. "I've been so worried about you. Yeva told us you'd left, but I had no idea where you went." She pulled me back and looked at me. "You've gotten taller. And you're too skinny. You-" She was cut off by someone shouting in Russian, getting closer to the door. A shrill scream stopped the flow of words. I was staggered back as Viktoria threw herself at me, speaking so fast I wasn't sure if she was speaking Russian or English.

I let her cling to me and gently patted her back, feeling tears running down her face and making my hair wet.

"Put Rose down now, Vika." said Olena softly. She loosened her grip on me, but didn't let go.

"I'm so glad you're back. I was so worried that you'd gone forever, and I'd never have the chance to say sorry. I know about Rolan now. Sonya told me after I didn't come out of my room for days. When I heard you had gone, I hated myself. You have to know I didn't mean _anything_ I said that night. Of course I think of you as my sister. And I hope you still think of me as yours." It was my turn to pull her into a death-grip hug. I was so glad she had forgiven me. Until now I'd never let myself feel how much it'd hurt when she told me she hated me.

"Of course I forgive you! There is nothing to forgive. It was my fault for not telling you sooner, and letting you go with him in the first place."

"Honestly, you two are as bad as each other. Vika, let Rose breathe, and Rose, come on in. It will be getting dark soon, and the rest of the family will want to see you. What made you come back here?" Well, it was now or never.

"Well, I'm, erm, with someone. They wanted to see you." Viktoria squealed.

"Is it Vasilisa? I've heard that she's queen now. I'm sure you had something to do with that."

"No, it's not Lissa. Erm, it would be easier if I showed you? Are all of you home?" It would be much easier if they were all in the same place, so we didn't have to explain it all again.

"Yes, Karolina has just come home from work, and we are all here. How about you bring this mystery person in? I'll gather the brood in the living room." Olena smiled at me, but I could tell she was curious about the 'mystery person'.

"Perfect. I'll see you in a bit." Viktoria hugged me again before disappearing inside, shouting in Russian once again. When they had both gone, I turned and walked back to the car.

Dimitri was watching me, and I nodded at him. He jumped out of the car, but didn't make a move towards me. He pulled me into his arms,

"Was that Viktoria? I saw someone throw themselves at you, and it looked like Vika, but I wasn't sure." I nodded. "Wow, she has grown a lot since I've last seen her." He sounded sad at this, but I think he took comfort in the fact that he would see them soon. I pulled back so I could look at him.

"They are all there, and I'm gonna bring you into the living room. It would be easier to just show them." He nodded, but I could see unease swirling under his eyes. I kissed him. "It will be fine." He gave me a half smile and took my hand.

I pulled him towards the house, squeezing his fingers, trying to comfort him. The door had been left open for me, and he paused, taking in the outside of the house for a minute. I could hear excited chatter from inside, and pulled him towards the noise.

I paused outside the door, not sure how I was going to stop the room full of trained guardians from jumping Dimitri.

"Wait here." I whispered, kissing him on the lips before poking my head into the room. Seeing eight pairs of brown eyes looking at me was a bit overwhelming. I noticed that Sonya was holding a tiny baby girl. She looked a lot like her mother, and I was glad Rolan had no place in her face. Paul looked older and Zoya was standing up, holding onto Karolina's chair. Everyone else looked pretty much the same. I met Yeva's piercing gaze, and I think I saw joy dancing in their depths, but I couldn't be certain.

"Rose, Vika says you have someone here to meet us?" Karolina asked, smiling at me. "Mama's right, you are taller." I smiled back.

"Erm, yeah. I don't quite know what to say, so I'm just gunna get it over with." I grabbed Dimitri's hand and pulled him into the room with me.

.

.

The silence was deafening.

Viktoria was the first one to say something.

"Dimka? Is that you?" Olena stood up then.

"Dimka?" She whispered. Dimitri nodded, and she collapsed into his arms, sobbing. He wrapped his arms around his mother, and I saw his shoulders shaking.

"Rose? I thought...I thought you said he was...he was..." Karolina asked, but her eyes didn't move from Dimitri.

"He was. But not anymore. He's back." As I finished my sentence, the whole room ran towards Dimitri. I fought my way over to the other side of the room, Sonya forcing her daughter into my arms as I did so. I sat in Karolina's seat, and Zoya held onto my legs, grinning up at me. Paul walked over to me then.

"Rose? I thought Uncle Dimka had died? How come he's here?" Viktoria heard his question and unravelled herself from the group hug.

"Yeah, how come he's back?" They all let go of him then, wiping tears from their eyes. Olena was still clinging to Dimitri, but I knew she was listening.

"Have any of you heard of Spirit?" They all nodded.

"Like Oksana?" Sonya asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. I, erm, after I left here, I went hunting for Strigoi. I was injured, and I was taken to Oksana. She healed me, and Mark told me of this story." I edited the part about being held captive at the hands of Strigoi Dimitri; his family didn't need to heat that. "Robert Doru supposedly changed a Strigoi back into a dhampir. I knew I had to find out more. If there was a chance that Dimitri could be saved, I had to know. I got Abe to contact Viktor Dashkov and ask him where his half brother was. He said he wouldn't tell as long as he was in prison. So, I broke him out of jail, and he brought me to Robert. Robert told me that a stake infused with Spirit would change a Strigoi back to their original form, but the Spirit user that enchanted the stake had to be the one to stake the Strigoi. Lis- Vasilisa did this, and here he is." I know I edited a lot, but I didn't want to go into painful detail.

"Oh my." Olena had let go of Dimitri now, and was drying her eyes. She looked at him. "Don't cry Dimka, you're home now." She reached up and wiped away his tears. She turned and looked at me. "Rose, we owe you and Vasilisa hugely. Thank you."

"Don't worry, it was worth it." I smiled up at Dimitri, and saw him gazing back at me. His answering smile was dazzling.

"This calls for a celebration. I...I need to tell the neighbours, and we will hold a party tonight. No, no tomorrow. You and Rose must be exhausted." Olena kissed Dimitri on the cheek. "So much to do! Dimka, go and get your things. Rose, you remember what room you were staying in?" I nodded.

"I'll go and get the bags. Stay with your family." I handed the baby back to Sonya, and moved Zoya's hands so she was resting against the chair instead of me. I walked out the house and headed towards the car. A hand on my arm made me stop. Of course I knew who it was; the electricity that zinged through me at the contact and the scent made it obvious. I turned around and he pulled me into his arms.

"Thank you Roza." I smiled against his chest. He leaned down and kissed me.

"EEWW!" We broke apart and saw Paul standing there, looking at us. "Grandma Olena told me to help you with the bags." He grinned. He looked so much like Dimitri; it was scary.

Dimitri let go of me, and scooped Paul up in his arms. "Wow, you've gotten big. How old are you now, twenty? Twenty five?" Paul giggled,

"Uncle Dimka! I'm only ten!"

"Only ten? No. I don't believe it. You look at least twenty. Look at those muscles!" He poked Paul's biceps. "Look at that six-pack." He poked Paul's stomach, making his fidget and giggle. He continued to tickle him, making his squeal and squirm. I looked at the exchange and realised what a great father Dimitri would be. I tried to keep the smile on my face, but I hated taking that away from him. Dimitri tickled him until he was breathless. He let the boy get his breath back, still holding him. Paul wrapped his arms around Dimitri's neck.

"I missed you uncle Dimka." He whispered into his neck. Dimitri hugged him tightly.

"I missed you too little man." I was fighting back tears. I knew Dimitri missed his family, but it hurt to see the pain it had caused both parties, especially Paul.

He looked up at me. "Hi Rose!" He said, beaming at me. "Are you Uncle Dimka's girlfriend?" I smiled at him, but Dimitri answered for me,

"Yup, she's my girlfriend. Is that ok?" He turned to wink at me, knowing that Paul would be fine with it.

"Sure is." He pulled back to look Dimitri in the eye. "But if you hurt her, I will hurt you too." The look on his face was so serious I nearly burst out laughing. It was hilarious seeing tall, muscley, Dimitri being threatened by a little boy.

"I know. Believe me, many people would hurt me if I hurt Roza. But you know what?" Paul shook his head. "I would never hurt her." He whispered, winking at me again.

"Well, that's ok then." Dimitri put Paul down and he ran over to me.

"I missed you too, Aunty Roza!" I pulled him into a hug, moved that he thought of me as his aunt.

"I missed you too Paul." Dimitri walked over and kissed me on my forehead.

"Eww! You kissed her!" Dimitri laughed. I put him down and started unloading the bags.

"Did you know, I have a girlfriend too." We both suppressed smiles.

"No? What's her name?" I could hear the amusement in his voice, but I also knew he wanted to know everything about his nephew.

"Izabella. She's in my class at school. She has big blue eyes and long blonde hair. And she likes Harry Potter!"

"She sounds very nice. Have you taken her out anywhere?" Now I knew he was humouring him.

"I went to the park with her last week." He was trying to pull the heaviest case out of the car so I reached to help him. "No! Mama said that a man should always carry the bags and open doors for ladies." Dimitri laughed and helped him instead.

"He's right Roza." In the end, Dimitri carried the two suitcases and Paul carried the carry-on luggage. It looked too heavy for him, and he was using two hands to pull it along the floor, but he flat out refused to let me help him. He even dragged it up the stairs and into our room for me.

We unpacked the clothes and shoved the empty cases under the bed. I was feeling the time difference now; I had been up for nearly 20 hours. It didn't help that I had made love passionately to Dimitri twice today as well. Never the less, I knew that I should stay awake until it was time for bed Russian time to get used to the time difference, but it was hard.

"Come here Roza." Dimitri saw I was lagging, and pulled me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his chest. He pulled me close, his arms creating an inescapable snare around my waist. "Thank you."

"For what?" It came out muffled as I was talking into his chest, but he heard.

"For being amazing." I laughed at him, "I'm serious! This is the best Birthday present I have ever had."

"It was nothing. And I missed them too." I said.

"We missed you as well, Rose." I looked up and peered over Dimitri's shoulder. Olena and Karolina were standing in the doorway, looking at us. "Sorry," Karolina said, grinning sheepishly. "We came to tell you that dinner was ready, but you were busy..." Dimitri let go of me and smiled at his sister.

"You always were a nosy one, Lina." She grinned and rushed to hug him.

"God I missed you Dimka." She moved back to get a good look at him. "Do anything like that again, and I will kill you myself." The way she said it reminded me of Paul earlier on. You could tell they were related.

"I know Lina. But you'll have to join the queue. Roza is first inline." She grinned at me and I smiled back.

"I'll be right behind her." Olena was smiling at us, and I knew she was ecstatic she had her family back. "Come on Lina, they'll be down in a minute." Karolina kissed him on the cheek and followed her mother down the stairs.

Dimitri turned around and wrapped his arms back around my waist. He leaned down and gave me a slow, serious kiss, making my knees go weak and my mind to turn to mush. He broke away first, and pecked me on the lips before taking my hand and pulling me down the stairs.

The whole family was sitting round the table. The three children were up one end, with Yeva at the head, looking after her great grandchildren. The other head of the table was left free for Dimitri, and the seat next to him was free for me. Everyone looked at us coming down the stairs, hands entwined, and smiled. I should have felt embarrassed, but I was in love, and I really couldn't care.

We took our seats, Dimitri winking at Paul when he pulled my chair out for me, just as Olena bought out steaming plates of delicious looking food. We all dug in; even Zoya had some. Of course, the baby just had a bottle, but that reminded me...

"Sonya, what is your daughter's name?" She smiled at me, which was strange; I guessed she had started to like me, considering I had brought her brother back from the dead and all.

"Zarya. It means sunrise." At the mention of her name, Zarya gurgled. The whole table smiled, and I was reminded once again that I could never give Dimitri children. I think Yeva noticed my pained look, but she didn't say anything, just looked at me.

We spoke about what we were doing at the moment, and everyone seemed impressed that we were guarding the Queen and future King – c'mon, it was going to happen someday.

"So Dimka, what brings you to Baia?" Viktoria asked, heaping more food on her plate; she was eating as much as me!

"Well, the tickets were a birthday present from Roza." They all looked at me.

"Whoa, that was a birthday present and a half!" Viktoria looked impressed.

"Not really. I knew Dimitri missed you all; he talks about you in his sleep. And he refused to tell me what he wanted, so I bought him something I knew he would like." They grinned at me.

"I talk in my sleep?" We laughed at his embarrassed expression.

"Yup. Most of the time it's just mumblings, but sometimes I can make out words." I winked at him and he blushed. Yeah, I knew what he dreamed about.

"He's done that ever since he was a little boy. Most of the time he would talk about cars and cowboys." Olena smiled, remembering Dimitri from his childhood. Well, he's not dreaming about cowboys anymore, although, riding was one of his favourites. I decided to hold that information from his family; they didn't need to know about their son's sex life.

His family shared stories of Dimitri as a child, some making him blush, others making us 'awwww' in unison. I kissed Dimitri on the cheek when Olena told us how Karolina and Sonya married him off to their Barbie dolls. He would literally do anything to be included in their games, even if it meant playing with Barbies. Olena also told us how Dimitri used to go out with his friends nearly every day of the summer break. She told us how she still sees Pepik, Lidiya and Gavriil around the town. Gavriil and Lidiya were married, and Pepik is still working in the garage where he worked on a Saturday; he owns it now. Dimitri enjoyed hearing about his old friends and I was happy just listening to him talk.

"Dimka, I heard from Geni the other day that Tasha was at court. How is she?" The whole table went quiet, eager to hear about their old friend.

I looked down, well aware that _all_ the Belikovs knew Tasha longer – and better – than they knew me. Dimitri took my hand and looked at me. I looked up and nodded at him, letting him know I was ok.

"Rose? Dimitri? Is everything ok?" Dimitri sighed and squeezed my hand.

"Mama, Tasha is in jail." The gasps around the table were unanimous.

"What?"

"Why?"

"Tasha? In jail?"

"Dimka, what happened?"

"Last Christmas, Tasha offered me a job as her bodyguard." They still looked confused.

"Last Christmas? But wasn't that the time when you called me, asking for advice? You said you were torn between the woman you loved and an old friend. And I said just wait, and it will all come clear. Did Tasha have anything to do with this?" This was a first. Dimitri called his mother about me? I filed that information away for later.

"Yes. She offered me a job, and gave me the chance to have children with her." Once again, the whole table gasped, but I didn't see their expressions; I was looking down. I hated taking that chance away from Dimitri, and what was worse was that he would have accepted if Mason hadn't died. "I turned her down." He squeezed my hand, letting me know that he loved me, and that _I _was the one he wanted. "She told me that was fine, and that she understood. I thought that would be the end of it. After I was, erm, changed back, there was a bit of drama at court. The queen was murdered. Staked in her bed. They found the stake – still in her chest – and they dusted it down for fingerprints. The only set found on it was Roza's."

"Oh my goodness!" Was pretty much the same response from all around the table.

"She was sent to jail and awaited sentence, but the evidence was pretty damning. We knew she hadn't done it, but we had no proof, and a death sentence was hanging over her head. So, Eddie Castile, Mikhail Tanner, Abe Mazur and I broke her out. I was still under suspicion as people didn't think I was really a dhampir, so we went on the run, with help from Sydney Sage, an alchemist. We proved that Rose didn't do it, and we found the illegitimate Dragomir, giving Vasilisa a quorum and making her queen."

"Sydney Sage? The girl that was here with you, Rose?" I nodded. "Well I never. But what does that have to do with Tasha?"

"She did it. She murdered the queen because she didn't share her views, and she framed Roza because I chose her instead of Tasha. She is awaiting trial, and will be found guilty."

No one quite knew what to say.

"What a bitch!" Viktoria shouted, standing up and banging the table.

"Viktoria! Sit down! You will not use that language at the table, no matter how deserved it is." I had never seen Olena so angry. I now know where Dimitri got his 'angry look' from. She turned back to us. "I have known Tasha since she was twelve, but I never would have expected her to be capable of doing something like that. I am astonished and ashamed that she hurt my family. I am sorry I brought it up, and I will never do so again." Dimitri kissed my hand and said to his mother,

"She is dead to me. She was once a great friend, but she tried to have the woman I love killed. I wish I had never known her." There was a bit of an awkward silence around the table, but Sonya broke it asking,

"How come Abe Mazur keeps popping up? I mean, he bought you here, he contacted Viktor Dashkov and he helped you escape from jail. What's going on there?" I smiled.

"Well, he's my father." Olena, who was drinking at the time choked, and everyone else exclaimed as well.

"Your _father_?" I nodded.

"That makes you Zemy Jr!" Viktoria laughed, but the rest of them looked worried. "Ha! You really are a bad ass! It runs in your blood."

"Rose, do you know what type of man Abe Mazur is?" Olena looked genuinely worried.

"Yup. He looks tough and everything, but call him dad and flutter your eyelashes and he's putty in your hands." Dimitri chuckled. "That may be the case, comrade, but he still wants to go 'hunting' with you when we get back. We'll see who's laughing then." He gulped and I laughed. "Don't worry, I'll tell him to behave." I kissed him on the cheek, and he instantly relaxed.

I realised that everyone had been watching our exchange and were smiling at us. "What?"

Olena smiled at me. "You two are made for each other." Dimitri kissed my cheek and smiled at me.

We spoke some more about life in general, before Karolina sent Paul and Zoya to bed. Sonya had taken Zarya up to bed a while ago, and Zoya was practically falling asleep at the table. She told Paul to follow her up, but of course he didn't.

Dimitri just threw him over his shoulder and stalked after his sister. Paul laughed and complained, but I knew he loved it. I helped Olena and Yeva clear the table while Sonya went to check on Zarya.

"Go to bed now. You must be exhausted. We can finish up here." I thanked them and went to find Dimitri. He was sitting on the floor by Paul's head, resting against his bed frame. He was reading him a story in Russian, and Paul was engrossed. I leant against the door frame and watched them. He really would make a brilliant father. My mind ran through the alternatives. We could adopt, use a surrogate or get a sperm donor. I rejected the last idea; if I was carrying a baby, it would be Dimitri's. I didn't like the second either; I didn't want another woman carrying Dimitri's child, but if that was what he wanted, I would treat the child as my own. Adoption seemed the best option, but it hurt to know that Dimitri was settling, and could have children with other women. Of course, the child would be mine in every sense – but one – of the word, and I would love it immensely, but I was taking Dimitri's _biological_ child away from him.

I let a few tears escape, mourning the children we would never have. I didn't realise that Yeva was watching me until she tapped me on my shoulder. I looked at her, and she put her fingers to her lips. She beckoned me to follow her, and she led me out into the garden.

"I didn't believe it when I saw it. But it really is Dimka. It is a miracle." I nodded, knowing this was not the reason she bought me out here. "But I also see your future. And that truly is a miracle." I waited, but she said no more.

"What? What did you see?"

"Your children." My heart clenched. So we did adopt or use a surrogate in the end. So we weren't complete without a child – children – and he settled. Not that I have anything against adoption, it was just the fact that _I_ was the one stopping Dimitri from having children. If he was with someone else, he could have his own children.

"Were they adopted or...?" I let the question hang there, not sure if I really wanted to know the answer.

"They were yours. Half you, half Dimka." What?

"No, that's impossible. We're both dhampirs. We can't conceive." Oh, how I wish it was not the case.

"That is what I thought, but I researched into it, and I spoke to Oksana. When she bought Mark back from the dead, she healed the terminal lung cancer he was suffering with before he died. Vasilisa must have healed the infertility out of you." My head was spinning. I desperately wanted to believe her, but my mind refused to believe it.

"But I'm not shadow-kissed anymore. I died again, and I healed myself, breaking the bond." Yeva smiled.

"I know. I saw it. But you healed your heart and bullet wound. It had nothing to do with infertility. One day you will carry Dimka's children." She walked away. I just stood there, my mind rejecting the possibility of dhampirs conceiving.

A cool breeze snapped me out of it, and I went back upstairs, my head still spinning, and my movements robotic. I went to our room and saw Dimitri sitting up in bed reading a book. He looked up when I walked in.

"There you are. Mama said you were speaking with Babushka. Everything ok?" I nodded. I would tell him eventually, but not tonight; I had to get _my_ head round it first.

"She was telling me how grateful she was that I saved you. She said she saw it happen, but she didn't believe it was true." I was looking away as I said this, pretending to look for my pyjamas in the wardrobe; he could tell when I was lying. I ended up just pulling on one of Dimitri's t-shirts and a pair of pyjama shorts.

I climbed into bed, snuggling into his side. He kissed my forehead and put his book away. We cuddled under the covers. I rested my head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around me. We tangled our legs together and I could feel him falling asleep. It took about two minutes for him to be out sparko, but my head was spinning.

Yeva said I was fertile, but it didn't make sense. We had had sex many times, and I wasn't pregnant. I had started taking the pill every morning once I was off the drugs for my chest injury; they stopped my period, so we could have months of uninterrupted sex. But before then? In the cabin, in the hotel room and while I was still on the drugs. I wasn't pregnant. It didn't make sense, and my mind was rejecting what Yeva had said when all my thoughts screeched to a stop.

I carefully moved my arm so I could pull up my sleeve and I saw the raised skin. It looked like a hair grip, the size of my thumb nail was embedded underneath my skin. Well, that's what it was really.

I thought back to Lissa's seventeenth birthday. We were in Chicago, on the run from the Academy. She had made an appointment at a clinic and got the contraceptive implant done. She was getting tired of taking the pill every day, and couldn't rely on her boyfriend at the time to carry a condom. I got one done with her, so we could both moan about the pain afterwards. It worked for 3 years, and was more that 99% effective. I was sixteen at the time, nearly seventeen. I was seventeen when I first slept with Dimitri, and eighteen the second time. It was still working now. So what Yeva said was true?

I could have children with Dimitri.

I grinned into the darkness. I would tell him on his birthday. The perfect present. He would be over the moon.

That night I dreamt of our children.

**What do you think? Review :) xx**


	8. Chapter 8

**I know I haven't uploaded in a while, but I hope the extra long chapter makes up for it :)**

I was woken up by the sunlight streaming through the blinds. I groaned and pulled myself closer into Dimitri, trying to block out the light.

"We'd better get up." He murmured, stroking my hair.

"How long have you been awake?" I said, trying to distract him from the obvious daylight shining through the window.

"About half an hour." I stretched as he said this.

"Why didn't you get up?" I asked, yawning. It felt too early, and it was like, midnight in America.

"I didn't want to disturb you. And besides, I love to watch you sleep." He smiled as he said this, and started to move his head towards mine.

"Stalker." I teased, meeting him half way.

The kiss was slow and tender, but very intense. We broke apart when we heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." Dimitri said, his voice warm and low. His mother poked her head round the door and beamed when she saw us.

"I thought I heard voices. I was going to let you sleep in, but Paul is asking for his Aunty Roza and Uncle Dimka to take him to the park." She grinned again when she said this. I was still touched that he considered me his aunt.

"We'll be down in a minute." He said, kissing me on my forehead. She nodded and her eyes lit up when she saw him kiss me. He waited until the door closed before pulling me back to him, kissing me hungrily. I responded with as much force, but the thought of his mother and sisters down stairs stopped it going any further. He pouted when I broke away.

"Your mother is downstairs. And besides, Paul will come looking for us. I don't think he wants to see his Uncle Dimka fucking someone. He's only ten!" Dimitri grinned.

"It's not fucking, it's making love." He dipped down and kissed me before going on. "And you are not 'someone', you are his Aunty Roza." He beamed when he said this, but sighed. "I suppose you're right. I don't want to scar him for life." I winked at him and kissed him once again before hopping up and heading towards the bathroom, grabbing my clothes as I went.

"Bagsy shower first. And you'd better make the bed." I rushed my shower, wanting to spend as much time with my man and his family as possible. My mind was still spinning from the conversation with Yeva last night, and I was literally on cloud nine.

I pulled my wet hair up into a messy bun, not bothering to dry it. After pulling on some denim shorts and a green tank top, I padded barefoot back to our room and saw Dimitri staring out the window. I went up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head on his back.

"What's up?" He took my hands and pulled me round to his front, tucking me into his side. I rested my head against his shoulder and looked out the window as well, waiting for him to answer.

"I never thought I'd ever be back here. I thought that if I ever came back here, my family would be ashamed of me for being weak and letting myself get turned. I also thought it would be a lot different, but it's exactly the same. The people are older, but it hasn't changed." I rubbed soothing circles on his lower back.

"They would never hate you. And you were not weak. You ran in there, outnumbered, to save people's lives. That takes courage and strength. You had nearly killed every single one of them monsters, and it took you by surprise. No one is perfect." I kissed his neck. "And they would always welcome you back. You know that. And of course it hasn't changed. It doesn't need to. It's beautiful the way it is." I looked out at the picturesque town before me, and the mountains beyond, the sun shining through the peaks, giving them a golden glow.

He hugged me properly then, burying his face in my neck. "I love you." He said, his words muffled by my skin.

"I know." I said, kissing his hair.

We stayed like that, both of us wrapped up in our thoughts, until I remembered Paul. I pulled back and said, "Get your butt in the shower, comrade. Your nephew is waiting for us." I kissed him on the lips, loving the way they felt against mine. Soft, yet powerful at the same time. He smiled and gathered his things, heading for the shower.

I was all up for waiting for him to finish before heading down stairs, but the smell of food wafted up, and I couldn't resist. I was met with the scene of most the family sat round the table, finishing up their breakfast. Viktoria was nowhere to be seen, but I assumed she was still in bed. I spotted Paul sitting out in the sun, playing with his toys waiting for us to take him to the park. Yeva was absent, but I think I saw her figure in the living room. Good. She seemed to like me now, but she still creped me out. And after last night, I was a bit scared about what exactly she had seen about mine and Dimitri's future.

"Good morning Rose." Said Karolina, and Sonya nodded at me, preoccupied with giving Zarya her bottle. "Where's Dimka?"

"Morning. He's in the shower. He should be finished soon." I grabbed a plate of the wonderful smelling food, not sure what it was exactly, but it tasted great, so I had no complaints.

"Morning all." Dimitri said, emerging from the stairs.

"Morning." Was the response from everyone. He dropped a kiss on my head before sitting down next to me, grabbing a plate.

"So, Dimka. You and Rose are still taking Paul to the park, yeah?" We both nodded. "Great. Could I ask a favour? I need to pop into work for an hour or two, and I need someone to look after Zoya. Now she's walking, she needs proper looking after. Sonya has Zarya and Vika is still asleep. Mama and Babushka are going out visiting soon, and I can't take her to work. Could you..."

"Of course Lina." Dimitri smiled. "We'll take her to the park as well." I was grinning on the inside. After the revelation yesterday, I kind of wanted as much practice with babies as I could get.

"Hang on." I said, a thought just crossing my mind. "Everyone thinks Dimitri is dead. If we just turn up at the park, people are going to wonder. And I don't want like thirty people jumping him thinking he's Strigoi..." I was having some gruesome mental images. I knew that most people here were dhampirs, and all had put time in as a guardian. We were badasses, but I don't think we could take down thirty people without hurting them and look after Paul and Zoya...

"Oh, it's ok. Mama went out last night and told her friends, who then told their friends and so on...They all believe you. And all of them are coming over for dinner tonight to celebrate." I grinned. When Dimitri was restored, people doubted and it was never really celebrated as it should have been.

"Great. Well, hurry up comrade, we've got two children to entertain!" He rolled his eyes and said,

"Why do I get the feeling that I will be looking after all three of you?" I winked at him and continued to bounce in my seat. I was excited about being with the kids of course, but I loved being in the sun, and we had no Moroi to protect...We could just relax.

Karolina laughed and went to get Zoya's things ready. I swear, Dimitri was purposely taking forever to eat his breakfast, and I was getting more agitated by the minute.

"Here Rose." Karolina handed me a bag. "It's Zoya's change of clothes in case she needs it. There's her nappies and stuff as well, baby wipes, a juice carton, everything I can think of. Paul is good to go, you just need to get him in from outside, and Zoya's in the kitchen with Babushka. She will probably get tired after a few hours, but let her go to sleep if she wants to. She'll be due a nap at about twelve anyway. The earlier she sleeps, the longer she'll sleep during the night. They've both had breakfast and everything, so you're good to go." She smiled at me before hugging me. I was a bit surprised, but Karolina seemed like one of those 'big hugs' people. "Yeva told me about what she saw. I know you will tell him when the time is right, but I'm so happy for you. Both of you." She whispered. I was shocked. Dimitri was in the kitchen, so I knew he hadn't heard, but Yeva had told people?

"Yeva told you? Who else did she tell?" What if Viktoria or Sonya, or _Paul _knew and blabbed to Dimitri? I wanted to tell him, it being our future children and all.

"Just me. She wanted me to talk to you about being a mother and closer to your age and everything. Sonya has Zarya I know, but I kind of know what I'm doing." She smiled again. "I know you will make great parents, and if you want to talk about anything, just ask." I hugged her again.

"Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me." I had worried about what I was going to do. Lissa didn't have children yet, and I didn't want to talk to my mom about having kids, it would just be too weird. Knowing I had Karolina to talk to if I needed anything was reassuring. She was a great mother to Paul and Zoya, and if I had her guidance, I would be a great mom. Wow. Me, a mom. I didn't quite have my head around it yet.

"No problem." She smiled, just as Dimitri emerged from the kitchen with Zoya on his shoulders.

"Ready to go?" I nodded and went to get Paul.

He ran on ahead, eager to see all his friends and Zoya babbled happily on Dimitri's shoulders, occasionally pulling on his hair. Dimitri had the biggest shit-eating grin on his face. I could tell he loved being home, and having his niece and nephew here was something he never thought he would get again.

After a few hours in the park, Zoya started to get tired so I sat down on the park bench and pulled her onto my lap, watching Dimitri push Paul on the swings. Zoya was still babbling away, but kept rubbing her eyes. She buried her face in my shoulder and I could feel her falling asleep. I rubbed her back soothingly, loving the feel of a tiny person in my arms. I could feel her steady breathing on my neck and knew she was asleep. The smell of warm baby was comforting, and her warmth was oddly relaxing. We sat like that for a while, before Paul got bored of the swings and went to play spacemen or something with his friends. Dimitri jogged over to me and I saw him look at us with wistfulness and sadness.

"Hiya." He whispered, kissing me on the forehead.

"Hi." He put his arm around me and I rested my head against his shoulder, careful not to jog Zoya. He sighed deeply and rested his head on mine. "What?"

"I'm sorry." I looked up, confused.

"For what?" His eyes were really sad, I wanted to hug him, but I was aware that Zoya was still sleeping.

"Taking the possibility of children away from you." I frowned. "You are such a natural with Zoya and Paul, and it hurts to know I can never give you children. I'm sorry." I was shocked. I was planning on waiting until later to tell him, but no time like the present.

"Dimitri, you haven't taken that away from me." It was his turn to look confused.

"What?" I smiled.

"Yeva spoke to me yesterday. She told me she had a vision of our children. Not adopted, not half mine half a stranger's, or half yours half a stranger's. Ours."

"That's im-"

"Impossible? I know. But when Oksana bought Mark back from the dead, it healed his terminal lung cancer. Yeva said Lissa has healed my infertility. And I know I'm not shadow kissed any more, but that was to do with my chest and a bullet, nothing to do with, erm, down there. She said we could have children. And as to why I'm not pregnant yet, I've had the three year contraceptive implant. Lissa made me get it done with her on her seventeenth birthday. So I can't get pregnant for another year and a half, but I could eventually..." He was staring at me, but he looked like he was only here in body. He was completely frozen, and after ten minutes, I was getting worried. Did I tell him too quickly? I kind of rushed it out, wanting to just get it out there. I don't even know if half of it made sense.

"Dimitri?"

"We're going to have kids someday?" I nodded. Zoya was waking up and she wanted to be put down. I did so, and she held onto the bench next to me. I made sure she was stable before turning to look at Dimitri again.

"Is that ok?" Slowly, the biggest grin I had ever seen crept its way onto Dimitri's face.

"We're gunna be parents?" I nodded again, smiling with his.

He jumped up and crushed me to him in a rib-cracking hug. He lifted me off my feet and swung me around, laughing. I laughed with him, and he put me down, pulling my face to him giving me one of the most intense kisses ever. We broke apart when we heard Zoya giggling and clapping her hands together. He let go of me and knelt down so he was nearly her height.

"You want to be swung round to?" She giggled and he picked her up and spun her around like he did with me. Her giggles made both of us smile.

He put her down and she ran off after Paul who was on the slide. He helped her up the steps and put her on his lap before sliding down. It was amazing how much he looked out for her. Dimitri pulled me into his arms again. I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head against his chest. We watched Paul and Zoya for a bit longer before they both wondered over.

Zoya tapped me on my leg and raised her arms, opening and closing her fists. I picked her up, like she wanted, and put her on my hip. She held onto my neck and grinned at me. She was the cutest baby I had ever seen.

"Uncle Dimka? Can we go and get an ice cream?" Paul looked up at Dimitri with puppy dog eyes, and they were impossible to resist. Dimitri picked up Zoya's bag and said,

"Sure. Lead the way." He grabbed Dimitri's hand and pulled him towards a small ice cream parlour on the corner opposite the park. I followed them, Zoya still babbling away.

Dimitri really knew everybody. The man in the ice cream parlour, Serge, was an old family friend apparently and couldn't get over how much Dimitri had grown up, how much Paul looked like Dimitri, how much Zoya looked like Karolina and how 'beautiful' I was. He was talking in Russian, but Paul translated for me.

He gave us the 'best seat in the house' apparently. It was by the window that overlooked the mountains, and I found myself agreeing with Serge. I sat Zoya down in one of those high chair things, and we all ordered some ice cream. Of course, I had the biggest and one with most chocolate in, and I ended up stealing most of Dimitri's, but we all enjoyed ourselves. I was glad that Karolina had packed baby wipes, because Zoya decided to play with the remainders of her strawberry ice cream and got it everywhere. How could someone so small and so cute make so much mess?

We headed back to the house just after one. Paul was still jumping and full of energy and Zoya was still babbling away, but Dimitri and I were knackered. Ok, we were supposed to be uber fit guardians – hell, we were – but we were still jet lagged and running after a ten year old and a toddler is harder than you think.

Of course, Paul crashed through the front door and ran upstairs to play with his toys. I put Zoya on the floor with her soft toys, and we collapsed down onto the sofa. Viktoria was up by now, and laughed at our exhausted expressions.

"It's harder than it looks, isn't it. That's why I always 'sleep late' when Karolina needs to go to work. I can't handle them on my own."

I yawned and curled up on Dimitri's chest. I was exhausted, and I really didn't care that I was about to fall asleep on the sofa. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer, resting his head against mine, that was resting on his shoulder.

I woke up a few hours later, fully awake. Dimitri was still asleep, so I stayed where I was. Sonya came in a few minutes later and smiled when she saw us. I smiled back at her, but made no move to get up. She sat down in the chair opposite us, and said,

"Rose. I have to apologise. My behaviour a few months ago was inexcusable. I was hurting over Dimka, and my hormones were everywhere. It is not an excuse, I know, but you reminded me of myself when I was eighteen. You were fresh out of school and eager to get out there and do something. I know you were grieving over Dimitri, but I knew you wanted to escape the confines of a job you were expected to do. So was I. I always wanted to be a guardian, but I fell in with the wrong crowd. I got involved with parties and drinking and boys, and I met Rolan, and he made me do things I am ashamed to admit. He said he loved me, and I thought I loved him. I gave up the chance to go to Court in America, thinking that if I stayed here, Rolan and I could have a life together. He got me pregnant, and I thought it was the start of my new life.

"Oh how I was wrong. Once he found out about Zarya, he wanted nothing more to do with me. I realised what a fool I had been, but it was too late to rectify those mistakes. Of course, I love Zarya, but I wish I had waited until I had found someone I really loved, and that loved me back. Then you turned up, and I was jealous. You had the perfect life. You were going to guard Vasilisa Dragomir, and were going to live at Court and that was what I wanted with my life. Instead, I was stuck at home, pregnant at nineteen, single and trapped in a dead end job.

"I'm sorry. I should have never acted like that towards you. I found out what you did for Viktoria just after you left, and I really am grateful. I would have hated for the same thing to happen to her. I just hope you can forgive me."

Whoa, this was really weird.

"Of course. There is nothing to forgive." I smiled at her, and she grinned in response.

"Thank you. You don't know how guilty I'd been feeling that I had been so rude to Dimka's woman. You didn't deserve it. Now, I'd better go and rescue Zarya. I left her with Vika." She walked out of the room smiling. I was glad I had made up with Sonya, but it was a bit sudden. Oh well. I snuggled back into Dimitri's embrace and waited until he woke up.

In the end, Olena had to come in and tell us to get up. People were going to start arriving soon, and she wanted us to get ready. I pulled the half-asleep Dimitri up the stairs and made him change into a fresh shirt. I let my hair down, glad that putting it in a bun gave it natural looking curls.

He pulled me close when I stripped off down to my underwear, and I knew the lack of sex was torturing him. Ever since we had gotten back together, we made love every night, and more often than not at some point during the day. I relished in the feeling of his hands ghosting over my ribcage and sliding towards my white lace thong.

"Dimitri." I warned. His family was down stairs and it was kind of a mood killer if we had to keep listening for someone coming to disturb us.

"Roza, please. We'll be quiet, and they won't come up. I'll even locked the door."

He slipped his fingers inside my underwear and kissed me behind my ear, knowing it would drive me crazy.

***M rated scene***

His fingers slid over my folds, and he groaned softly in my ear when he felt how wet I was. My hands moved to his jeans and felt a bulge at the crotch. It felt weird with his family downstairs, but we needed to find a release. He threw me down on the bed and moved to lock the door before joining me. We were expected downstairs soon, so we couldn't take our time.

I pulled his jeans and boxers down to his knees, and he did the same with my thong. He entered me in one hard stroke, filling me completely, making me gasp. Just like when we did it in the plane toilet, we muffled our moans and groans in each other's neck. I had missed the way it felt when he was slamming in and out of me, hitting that spot, breathing hard on my neck as he throbbed inside me.

I could feel myself getting closer, but I hadn't had enough yet. I wrapped my legs around his waist and dug my feet into his arse, pushing him deeper with every stroke. He was muttering my name in Russian, it sounding like a chant or a prayer. God, his accent was thicker the more aroused he got, and the sound of his silky voice caressing my name was such a bloody turn on. I rocked my hips with every thrust, and felt him swell and twitch within me. With one final thrust he exploded into me, continuing to thrust and ride out the waves of his orgasm. The feeling of him spilling into me sent me over the edge and I threw my head back in a silent scream.

We collapsed in a heap, both of us breathing heavily, still connected in the most intimate of ways. I buried my face in his hair, breathing in his musky scent. I loved it when, just after sex, I could still feel his juices in me. It was like he marked me as his own, letting everyone else know that I belonged to him. And I did. No questions asked.

I looked up at him and met his intense gaze. He leaned down and kissed me hard.

"You have no idea how long I have wanted to do that."

"Believe me, I do." I kissed him again then said, "Come on, we'd better get downstairs." He nodded.

He slid out of me and rolled off the bed, tucking himself back into his boxers and pulled his jeans up. I readjusted my bra that had slid when I was writhing on the bed, and pulled my thong back into place.

***End of M rated scene***

I fished out a white summer dress from the wardrobe, and pulled it on. Dimitri wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder.

"I love you." He said, pressing butterfly kisses along my collarbone.

"I love you too." I rested my cheek against his.

"Do-" He cut off, not finishing his sentence.

"What?"

"Do you really want to have children with me? I mean, you said you could, but do you want to." I pulled my head back to look at him, shocked and a little bit hurt.

"Of course I want to have children with you! Who else would I have them with? Why? Don't you want children with me?" Did he want someone else's children? I always assumed that he would want children with me, but now I wasn't so sure...

"Yes! Of course! I just wanted to make sure that you wanted them with me. I mean-" I broke off his sentence with my lips. He broke away with a huge smile on his face. "Sorry. I'm being stupid, aren't I?" I nodded but smiled.

Slowly, the biggest grin I had ever seen crept across Dimitri's face; it threatened to split his face in half. "We are really going to have children?" I nodded, grinning with him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me tightly against his chest. My arms found their way around his neck, and we practically squeezed the breath out of each other. "I love you."

"I love you too. Now, c'mon comrade. Everyone is waiting for us." I pecked him on the lips again before dragging him downstairs.

A lot of the people gathered downstairs went to Dimitri's wake, but they all seemed to accept him easily enough. I have to admit. I had been worried about what people would think about him; I had seen what they did to him at Court and I didn't want the same thing to happen.

He seemed at ease with everyone. He spoke to what seemed like hundreds of people, in both Russian and English, but didn't let me leave his side. I recognised a few people from his memorial service, and some remarked how much happier I looked. It was kind of weird.

"Rose?" I turned to see Mark and Oksana behind me.

"Hi. How are you guys?" We exchanged pleasantries, but I could tell something was bugging Oksana.

"Rose, I hope you don't mind me asking, but what happened to you? I can see your aura, and it's...it's like you're not shadow kissed any more. But that's impossible..." Ahh, right. I'd better start explaining myself...

"I'm not. I died again, and I bought myself back. I know that sounds weird, but my body healed itself, so I didn't need the connection to Lissa to keep me alive any more." They both looked stunned.

"But...That's impossible!"

"I know, yet here I am, no bond." I'll give credit where it's due, they didn't look as sceptical as I had been.

"I...I suppose that makes sense...but whoa. I suppose you're glad you're not getting the darkness any more?" I smiled, glad they seemed to have recovered.

"I'll admit, it's really weird. I've lived with it for six years; it feels like I've lost a limb. But I'm glad that I'm not going to go crazy any more. Sure, I still have some darkness in me, but I've been told it's getting less and less every day. But I do worry about Lissa dealing with Spirit by herself...but I can't really do much about that any more." I was glad that she seemed to be coping without me, but that was because she wasn't using much Spirit. I dread to think what she'll be like in a few years...But I can worry about that at another time; I was on holiday.

"Well, I'm happy for you. We both are. And I'm glad Vasilisa is helping to get Spirit taught in schools. God only knows how much I needed it when I was her age. And we're happy that we may actually find a, well, not a cure, but an aid for the darkness." I smiled, remembering the work Lissa was doing with Sonya, Adrian and Oksana. "Anyway, now is not the time for these conversations. I'm so glad that the story was true. I've never seen you so happy. And the same goes for Dimitri. We're glad you've found each other again." We spoke a bit more about what we were up to at the moment, before they got called away by another guest.

Once again, Olena made enough food to feed an army and many people brought dishes with them. Hey, I'm not complaining! I tried most, if not all, and I went back for seconds. The rest of the evening went by without drama.

Most of the guests left at around one, sending their congratulations and best wishes. The last guests left at around two, and we cleared up for the family. Everyone was out like a light, but Dimitri and I were still wide awake after our power nap. I recognised that glint in his eye; it made my stomach flutter. I was still wary of the sleeping Belikovs in the rooms down the hall, but luckily Olena had given us the room at the end of the hall way, away from other rooms.

We listened carefully, and heard only the sounds of heavy breathing coming from down the hall. I was still stood outside our room, straining to hear any evidence of life in the house when Dimitri wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed his lips to the indentation below my ear, growling. I muffled my giggle and let him pull me into our bed room.

He spun me around and glued our lips together, just about locking the door before he threw me on the bed.

***M rated scene***

He nibbled on my bottom lip and slid his hands up my inner thigh as I pulled off his shirt. I dug my finger nails into his back when his fingers reached my dripping core, sliding over the wetness. He pulled my dress over my head, and quickly reattached his lips to mine.

I made quick work of his trousers while his tongue danced with mine, the belt getting caught over the rather large tenting in his boxers. He moved his mouth down to my collarbone, tracing the indentations with his tongue. I groaned quietly when he moved his hands to my breasts, pinching my nipples into pink buds under the white lace covering them.

I slipped my hand into his boxers, sliding my thumb over his slit, spreading the bead of pre cum over his head. He moaned into my neck, trying to muffle the sound. My other hand was still on his biceps, so I could feel his muscles rippling as he moved to undo my bra, and then slid my thong off my hips. I did the same with his last item of clothing, freeing his erection.

I sucked on his ear lobe as he lined himself up. The feeling of him pushing into me made me bit down, making him moan into my neck again. Once he had filled me completely, we lay like that, marvelling in the feeling of being connected, knowing that no one would ever come between us again. I met his intense gaze and stared into the chocolate depths, seeing only love and lust reflected back at me.

I pulled his face back to mine and he started moving in and out of me, taking it slow, but still making us both quiver with passion. Though his strokes were slow, they were powerful, hitting against that spot deep inside me every time. He pulled my chest flush against his, keeping me close by wrapping his arms around my back.

Him moving against me caused delicious friction against my chest and his and made me moan into his mouth. I rocked my hips against his, stimulating us both, causing him to bite down on my lip. We moved together for what seemed like an age, but I realise it was probably more like an hour. We really did fit together perfectly.

He sped up when we reached our peaks, making the headboard bang against the wall, but we were too far gone to care. I moved one hand from his back and slid it over his perfect behind, sliding in between his legs and cupping his sack. I squeezed tightly, and he exploded into me, gasping and groaning, trying to be quiet about it. The feeling of him spilling into me, his body shaking around me, his body wrapped around mine sent me over the edge and I joined him in ecstasy.

We stayed connected until our breathing slowed and our bodies stopped shaking. He pulled out of me, and rolled onto his back, still catching his breath.

***End of M scene***

I snuggled into his side and he wrapped one arm around me and clasped my hand that was lying on his chest.

I kissed his chest. "Night."

"Goodnight my love." A part of me wanted to squeal at that, and I knew that I was going to love my new nick name.


	9. Chapter 9

**I know I haven't ud in a while, and I'm sorry :( One of my new year's resolutions will be to update a lot more :)**

You know when you wake up early, and you get the feeling that you are wide awake? Well, I had that.

I was still cuddled into Dimitri's side, and he was still fast asleep. My mouth felt really dry and had a horrible taste in it, and I knew that it would just get worse the longer I stayed here.

Being careful not to disrupt Dimitri, I got out of bed and slipped on his shirt that was left on the floor, and a pair of red lacy panties before tiptoeing down the stairs. I crept into the kitchen and saw Olena mixing something in a bowl.

"Oh, morning Rose. It's a bit early for you, isn't it?" I suddenly felt uncomfortable, realising that I was wearing her son's shirt and _only_ her son's shirt, implying that I wasn't wearing anything this morning, implying I wasn't wearing anything when I went to bed...

"Morning. I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep, and I needed a drink...How come you're up so early?" She chuckled, not seeming to mind I was wearing next to nothing...

"I've always been an early riser, and I wanted to make pancakes for everyone. Are pancakes alright with you? I was going to make some bacon and other stuff as well, in case you don't like-"

"Pancakes are great." Olena smiled at me, her eyes creasing just like Dimitri's did. "Need any help with the breakfast? Dimitri was out for the count, so I don't think he will be up any

time soon." He was snoring lightly when I left, looking so adorable and sexy at the same time, sleeping with a slight pout, just begging to be kissed and-

"That's very kind of you to offer. Could you slice the bread and put it in the grill. And could you cut the fat off the bacon please."

"Of course." Nothing like your boyfriends mother to get rid of dirty thoughts about said boyfriend...

I got cutting and we filled the time with chat, enjoying each other's company. The sun was just rising when Olena said,

"Right, I think we're all finished here. Do you want to go and see if Dimitri's up yet?" I smiled and finished up what I was doing. "Oh, and Rose?" I looked up, "Thank you. It's not often when the others help and just chat. Don't get me wrong, I love them all, and I know they are all busy with their lives, but it's nice sometimes just to have a chat." I went over and hugged her, glad I had 'bonded' with Olena, and I made a mental note to hang out with her more often; she had a wicked sense of humour, and knew everything about everyone.

"I like having a chat too. It's nice to have someone to relax with. And I enjoy helping." She gave me the crinkly-eye smile, and let me go.

I went upstairs and gently opened the bedroom door. Of course, Dimitri was still dead to the world, sprawled out on the bed. He looked so adorable like that, I pulled off his shirt and climbed back into bed, snuggling into his warm form. He sighed and smiled slightly and tightened his arm around me, responding to me even when asleep.

I dozed for a while, but I woke up when Dimitri groaned and rolled over, burying his face in my hair. I grinned and ran my fingers through his hair, kissing his cheek.

"Morning comrade." He kissed my shoulder and I felt him smile.

"Good morning Roza." He pulled back and gave me a slow, sweet good morning kiss.

"Mmm, it is now." He rolled his eyes and hopped out of bed, pulling on a new pair of boxers. I followed him and he raised his eyebrow at my red panties.

"I needed a drink, and I didn't wasn't to go downstairs naked..." He smiled and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close to his body.

"Mmmm, I have no objection to you walking round the house naked...but perhaps not with my family in the house." He buried his face into my hair. "You're all for me." He kissed his way up my neck and along my jaw before I got impatient and pulled his mouth back to mine. "You're so impatient."

"And you're so sexy." He laughed at that, kissing me on the nose before pulling back and grabbing his clothes. I got dresses as well, and pulled a brush through the thing on my head that called itself hair.

"You really do have awful bed hair." Dimitri had made the bed, collected the discarded clothes from around the room and was sitting on the bed, looking at me in the mirror.

"Well, at least I don't snore." Ok, he only snored a little bit, but he had bed hair too, he just didn't have someone knotting their fingers in it in their sleep. Well, ok maybe he did too, but his hair is shorter than mine.

He winked at me before getting up and making his way over to me. He leaned over my shoulder and kissed my neck, "Let me."

I wasn't sure what he meant, but he took the brush out of my hands and started working through the tangled mess. He was much gentler than me, and every touch sent thrills shooting through the roots of my hair.

"There." He kissed my jaw and moved away.

"Woah." I didn't feel quite up to moving yet, so I just stayed on the chair and tried to get a grip.

"What?" He tried to look all concerned, but I could see amusement dancing in his eyes.

"You know what. I don't think I will be able to move for like, another hour." I narrowed my eyes at him, but it was hard to stay mad at him, especially when he had a goofy grin on his face.

He kissed me again and pulled me up off the chair, swatting my bum and pushing me towards the door.

We left the room laughing and smiling, making our way down for breakfast. On the stairs we met Viktoria.

"You two look very happy this morning." She had a knowing look in her eye that made me feel a bit nervous. "And I have a sneaking suspicion that it has something to do with the noises I heard from my room last night? A head board banging against the wall, if my memory serves me right?" I blushed bright red and had to use all my self control to stop me from burying my face in Dimitri's chest.

"Vika." Dimitri warned. She just laughed and walked down the stairs.

"She heard us." I hissed, still mortified.

"So. We've all heard Lina and Sonya with their boyfriends. She'll get over it."

"But still! If Viktoria heard, does that mean your mother, your _grandmother_ heard!" I was having a mini heart attack, and to my surprise, Dimitri just laughed.

"I doubt it. Babushka sleeps like the dead, and Mama takes sleeping pills. And even if they did, what did they think we were going to do? How do you think my sisters and I came about? We've all, apart from Vika, I hope, have had sex. They'll get over it." I couldn't believe he was acting so calmly about this.

"Well, seeing as it's not a big deal for you, I guess you won't mind if we stop this ever happening again. No more sex in your mum's house." He looked scandalised, so I tried to put it in terms he would understand. "How would you feel if my mum _and_ dad heard us having sex?" The look on his face said it all. I smiled and pecked him on the lips.

He gave a big sigh and pulled us down the stairs. Luckily, the only one that looked at us oddly was Viktoria and she gave a big wink.

The rest of the day was spent just hanging out, catching up and doing errands. It was nice to just relax and spend the day with people you care about. Dimitri was playing cards with Viktoria and everyone else was doing something or other, so I went to help Olena with dinner.

We were chatting about places we'd been to and where we would like to go, when I felt a strong pair of arms wrap around my waist and got a whiff of a familiar aftershave. I melted back into his embrace and he rested his head on my shoulder.

"What's cooking?" I saw him eyeing up the plate of chicken. Olena saw this too, and she beat me to it.

"Oh no you don't, Dimka. This isn't ready yet, so keep your hands off." He looked so crestfallen that I laughed and pecked him on the cheek.

"Cheer up Comrade. Once the bread is ready, we'll eat." I still had flour on my fingers and I dusted a bit on Dimitri's nose.

"Oi!" I grinned and he pinched my waist. I laughed and wriggled to try get away from his fingers. Traitor. He knew how ticklish I was. He pouted, looking so adorable that I wiped the flour off his nose and kissed him on the cheek.

"There, all better." He looked very pleased with himself. "But no food for you. Get out." That knocked him off his high horse.

"She's got you on a tight leash, Dimka." Olena laughed. "Don't get on the wrong side of her, she's lethal." I knew I liked her for a reason.

"I know Mama." He said, looking very pleased with that outcome. He kissed me on my cheek and left the kitchen.

We carried on cooking, talking about how Olena and the rest of the family would love to come over to America for a visit. She said they would have to wait for a few years because Zoya and Zarya were too young, but she would love to visit eventually. I said we'd love to have them to stay and assured her that even though we didn't have enough room in our flat, Lissa would be able to get an apartment for them all.

It suddenly dawned on me that Lissa would be going to Leigh soon. We'd have about a month after we got back before we had to go. Term didn't start for a few weeks after that, but she wanted to get there early. I wouldn't see Dimitri for months. I pushed our looming separation out of my head, promising myself that I would enjoy every moment I had with him.

After dinner we all crowded into the living room to watch a film Paul was desperate to watch. Dimitri pulled me onto his lap, and I would have been embarrassed, but there wasn't enough room for us all to have a seat, so I just snuggled into his arms.

It was about half way through the movie, when Dimitri leaned forward and whispered, "Roza, what was bothering you earlier?" I hadn't realised that he had noticed.

I sighed. "We have about a month until I have to go to Leigh with Lissa. I won't see you for months-" My voice broke at the end of this and I buried my face into his chest. He sighed and kept me close.

"I know it's going to be hard, but we'll manage. We've done it before and we're stronger than this. And we'll get to see each other. Once you've finished college, we'll be together, always." I nodded and kissed his neck.

"I love you." It still sucked, but I suppose we'd had worse.

"I love you too Roza." We watched the rest of the movie wrapped up in each other.

The rest of the week was spent seeing the sights of Baia and meeting all – well, most – of the people who lived there. Dimitri's birthday was the next day, and I pulled Olena aside that evening and asked her what was going to happen.

"Well, we were planning on doing a family breakfast, like every year, and then go out as a family. We're going to have an early tea and that's when we'll do presents. Is that ok?"

"Sure! That sounds great." He would love spending the day with his family.

"Ok. You're going to have to keep him upstairs until someone comes and gets you."

"Alright." I looked at the time. "Woah, it's later than I thought it would be. I suppose I'd better go to bed. Night." Don't get me wrong, I didn't have a 'bedtime' or anything, but I was kinda tired from walking all around Baia today, and we had gotten up pretty early.

"Me too. Goodnight."

I went up stairs and when I got to our room – I loved that, _our_ room – I think I actually swooned at the sight waiting for me. Dimitri was all tucked up in bed, cocooned in the covers and looking absolutely adorable. His hair was loose and a few strands lay across his face.

I got changed into my pyjamas and slipped between the sheets, cuddling up to Dimitri's warm body.

"Mmmm, I was wondering when you were going to come up to bed." He was in that in between state, not quite awake, not quite asleep. Still, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me in. I moulded myself against his form, our legs tangling and our body's pressed together.

I rested my head in the crook of his neck, my favourite spot because his scent was really potent and I could hear his steady breathing. I felt him bury his face into my hair and smile. This was pretty much the same routine for every night, both of us getting comfy wrapped up in each other.

"Night." I whispered, pressing a kiss into his neck.

"Goodnight my Roza."

I woke up before Dimitri the next morning, a rarity. It looked like the perfect day; the sun shining, the birds singing – all that usual crap that made people burst into song.

It wasn't long before I felt his arms around me tighten and he buried his face even further into my hair.

"What time is it?"

"About half nine." He groaned and I kissed his neck. "Happy Birthday." I sucked on the spot under his ear. "Mmmm, how does it feel to be a quarter of a century old?" He pulled back and mock pouted, I just pressed a kiss to his lips.

"That's not funny." I grinned.

"Ah, you can deny it all you want, grandpa, but you're still getting old. I think I might have to get you some life insurance for your next birthday, in case you get out of bed and put a hip out or something." He grinned and rolled in top of me, pressing his body against mine, but keeping his weight off me with his arms.

"You think I'm old?" He dipped his head and slowly kissed along my collar bone. "You think I'm an old man?" He nibbled the point where my shoulder met my neck, making me shiver. "You think I'm going to put my hip out getting out of bed?" He licked his way up my neck and sucked my earlobe into my mouth. "I can think of a much better way of using my hips." He grinded his 'morning wood' into my core, making me moan and push my head back into the pillow.

"Don't...Your family..." I gasped. Ever since Viktoria had nearly caught us, I was especially careful. He rolled us back onto our side and we cuddled for a bit, until I felt his erm, no so little problem against my leg.

"Got a little problem there, eh comrade?" he smiled and blushed a bit. I kissed his cheek. "You're so adorable when you're embarrassed." He rolled his eyes and mock sighed.

I felt mean cock blocking him, and I was sure that a little help wouldn't hurt. And plus, it was his birthday. I winked at him and pulled him into a sitting position, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

***M rated scene***

He looked so confused it was adorable and I just had to kiss him. It dawned on him what I was going to do when I released his lips and knelt down in front of him, pulling his boxers with me.

I kissed up and down his thighs, and I couldn't resist licking his much defined V that led to his very prominent erection, sticking up from in between his spread legs. I slid my finger along his slit before stroking him up and down, feeling him thrust gently into my hands. I tightened my grip and moved faster, hearing a low moan escape Dimitri's lips. I cupped his balls and squeezed tightly, before placing my hands on his knees and spread his legs wider.

I leaned down and trailed my tongue up and down his length, feeling him shudder at my touch. Slowly, I kissed my way back down to his balls and took them into my mouth, my tongue swirling and flicking. He moaned out my name and knotted his fingers in my hair. I sucked roughly before releasing them, and carefully nibbled my way up to his head, following the vein that ran on the underside. I swirled my tongue over his head and licked off the bead of pre cum. I blew cold air against his engorged member, making him gasp and swear in Russian.

I took him in slowly, planning on making this last for as long as possible. Gradually, I sucked him in, throat deep. I moaned at the feeling of his pulsing cock in my mouth, knowing that he was trusting his most sensitive organ in between my teeth, and if I wanted to, I could cause him immense pain, of course, I would never do that; I would only cause him immense pleasure.

He shouted out my name at the feeling of the vibrations and bucked into the back of my throat. I set a fast pace, knowing this was what he wanted right now. I pumped the part that wouldn't fit in my mouth with my hand, matching the pace of my mouth. I flicked out my tongue, swirling and flicking his cock every time he entered my mouth. I hummed at the same time, knowing he loved the vibrations.

I could feel his dick pulsating in my hot, wet mouth so I sucked my cheeks in hard, squeezing his ball at the same time. He groaned out my name, his voice husky and low, the accent more pronounced. He fisted his hands in the sheets and arched his back, shooting his load into my mouth. I knew I would never tire of the taste of him; Dimitri, but more concentrated. I swallowed everything he gave me and continued to move my mouth back and forth, riding out his orgasm. When his dick stopped pulsing, I released him from my mouth, giving his tip a small kiss before moving back up to his face. He was breathing hard, eyes closed and his whole body was shaking.

***End of M scene***

I grinned and kissed his nose. "Happy Birthday comrade." He opened his eyes and wrapped me up in his arms, kissing the top of my head.

"It is now." I could hear the laughter in his voice and I snuggled into his chest.

He rolled us under the covers and we lay down, basking in the feeling of togetherness. We stayed like that for about half an hour before Olena knocked on the door.

"Come on you two, breakfast is ready." I was immensely grateful she didn't come in; she would have been greeted with the sight of her son naked in bed, his clothes scattered all around the room and his girlfriend pretty much dry humping him. That would have been really awkward.

"Ok mama, we'll be down in a minute." I pulled on some daisy dukes and a red tank top; it looked like it would be another hot day. Dimitri just pulled on his infamous jeans and a t-shirt; I don't think any extreme weather conditions affected him. I shared my thought with him and he just laughed, pulling me down the stairs.

We were met with a chorus of 'Happy Birthday' and sat down for a huge breakfast. I swear, Olena always cooked for about 50. But that was ok; we all ate huge amounts anyway.

"So, Dimka, where would you like to go?"

"Could we go to the new pool! Oh please Uncle Dimka! Izabella says it's really cool!" Paul piped up before Dimitri had even taken a breath.

"Paul! Don't interrupt! When it is your birthday, we can go to the pool, but it is Uncle Dimka's birthday, so he gets to choose." Karolina chastised. Paul's face fell and he really did look crushed.

"Lina, it's ok. I have no idea where to go, and if my favourite nephew wants to go to the new pool then that is where we shall go." I could tell that Paul's puppy-dog eyes had gotten to him, and a pool sounded fun.

Paul jumped up. "Oh thank you Uncle Dimka! It's brand new! It opened last month, and it has no roof! Izabella went with her mummy and brother, and she said it was really good!" He rushed off up stairs to, I assume, get ready for the outing.

"Dimka, you really shouldn't give in to him. He will just get spoiled." Karolina teased, but she knew that Dimitri would never deny Paul anything.

We finished up breakfast and I helped Olena clear the breakfast things away. She told me that the open air pool had been built when the old leisure centre closed down, and there were sun loungers and a baby pool as well as the conventional main pool. On a whim, Lissa had told me to pack a bikini and flip flops, and as I rushed up the stairs, I was grateful for her nagging.

Dimitri had already put on his trunks and was helping Paul get ready, so I had the room to myself as I tied my halter neck bikini top and pulled on the matching briefs. I looked in the mirror before I put my clothes back on, and I had to admit, I looked good. The bikini was a deep purple and made my boobs look great, but it was modest enough to wear in front of Dimitri's family.

I put my shorts and top back on, and put a new set of underwear and a towel in my bag. I pulled my hair up in a high ponytail, and went to meet the others downstairs. All the girls were ready, and the boys soon followed. Paul's hair had gotten longer since the last time I'd seen him, and Dimitri had tied it back just like his, making him look like a mini Dimitri. Of course, he looked a lot like Karolina, but he really did look a lot like his Uncle.

It was such a nice day, we decided to walk. Paul was leading the way, practically running and Olena and Yeva were bringing up the rear. The three sisters were in deep discussion, and their children were content in being held, babbling away. Dimitri took my bag and slung it over his shoulder, somehow still looking very masculine and sexy whilst holding a woman's handbag. He took my hand and I told him so, kissing him on the cheek when he laughed. He pulled me close, keeping our fingers interlocked.

"You know, they're talking about us." Dimitri leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"Who?" Just the smell of him being so close made my mind spin.

"Mama and Babushka. They are planning our wedding." I laughed under my breath and looked back at the two women. Their heads were close together and they were talking animatedly in Russian.

"Huh. So, what's it going to be like?" He grinned and whispered in my ear.

"Now, that would be telling." I shivered, trying not to melt on the spot. _His mother is behind you. His mother is behind you._ Was the only way to stop me jumping his bones then and there. _Ignore the sexy Russian accent, ignore the smell of his aftershave, ignore the thoughts of being Mrs Belikov, ignore the breath tickling your neck, ignore those long fingers wrapped around your hands, so talented at curling and flicking and rubbing..._ I had to actually shake my head to get those images out of my head. Dimitri just laughed when I told him why I moved away slightly.

Thankfully, the pool wasn't that far away, and I had just enough self control to stop myself jumping Dimitri's bones.The boys went off into their changing room, and left us to get ready. As I expected, Olena and Yeva weren't swimming, but were going to enjoy the good weather and sunbathe at the side of the pool. Zoya looked adorable in her pink frilly swimming costume and green armbands, and Zarya had one of those inflatable baby-seat things. We descended on the pool; Olena and Yeva claiming the sun loungers and the rest of us getting in the cool water. Dimitri and Paul had already gotten in and waved when they spotted us.

Karolina and Sonya took the little ones off to the baby pool while the rest of us mucked about, doing handstand and diving competitions. Paul was pestering Dimitri to take him down the slide, so they went off. Sonya had gotten out a while ago, and was sitting by Olena. Viktoria and I went to join them, wanting to dry off and try and catch a tan. Karolina joined us after a while, and we were all just chatting. As expected, the queue for the slide was _very_ long, and we were all getting a bit bored waiting for them.

"Right. I'm dying for an ice cream. Vika, come with me and help. Who wants one?" Of course, everyone did.

They went off with our orders, and when they came back, Dimitri and Paul were just getting to the top. They waved at us before disappearing into the tunnel.

"Wow! Mama, that was amazing! Did you see us? We went _really_ fast and- hey, how come all of you have ice creams?" Paul came rushing over, soaking wet but loving it. Karolina just sighed and handed him one; she knew he would demand one.

"So Roza, want to go down the slide?" Dimitri came and sat down next to me, kissing me on the cheek.

"Ew, you're all wet!" He laughed and shook his head, spraying us all with cold water.

"You're all chickens." He leaned in and took a lick of my ice cream. No, that was _not_ a euphemism!

"Get your own!" He just laughed and ate some more.

"If you want me to stop eating yours, go buy me one." I scowled and he chuckled, leaning to steal some more if my ice cream. I didn't mind really, but it was fun to tease him.

We continued to chat, but I could feel Viktoria's eyes on me. I turned to her, and she looked a bit sheepish.

"Sorry, I don't mean to stare, but I can't help to notice that scar on your chest..." I looked down. Between my breasts was a scar about the length of my finger. It was still healing, and you could still see the marks the stitches have left. The dressing had been taken off when I was working with Lissa. It was healing nicely, but there will always be a scar.

"It's alright." Dimitri looked at the scar and frowned. I squeezed his hand. "Erm, just after I announced that Tasha was the one who killed the queen," Everyone scowled at her name. "she shot at Lissa, and I pushed her out of the way, and got caught in the cross fire." They all looked shocked.

"Jesus Rose, you really do get into a lot of trouble." I winked at Viktoria.

"I know. But I'm fine now. And besides, it's no fun being good." I squeezed Dimitri's hand. I felt him shudder, and he got up and jumping into the pool. I suppose that was the equivalent to a cold shower.

We all got back in the pool but I could tell they were still freaking out a bit because of Tasha. The sisters congregated in the corner, the babies happy just splashing around. I was making my way over to them when something grabbed my waist from under the water. I turned around and saw Dimitri emerge, his hair dripping wet and grinning like an idiot.

"Hello." He leaned forward and captured my lips with his.

"Mmmm, hello." He was still grinning. "What?"

"Nothing. Just happy to have my girlfriend here, with my family, in the sun on my birthday."

"You soppy sod." I kissed his nose.

"You love me really." He said, tapping his lips against mine. I smiled,

"Yes, I do." I licked his bottom lip before he kissed my ear and held me close.

Paul came up to us then, and we spent the rest of the day playing around in the pool with the other Belikovs. It was gone three when we started back towards the house. Olena sent Dimitri out once he had showered, giving him a long list of groceries. But the way Dimitri just rolled his eyes made me think that this was a usual occurrence on his birthday.

We all showered and changed into nicer clothes. I had a number of dresses packed, but none were really suitable for present company, so I pulled on a dark green dress that came just above my knee and was casual enough to wear, but still nice enough for a party, and helped Olena lay out all of the food for the tea. She had managed to prepare enough food for a small army, and the cake looked amazing. We were just putting the finishing touches to the decor – yes, 25 year old Dimitri had balloons and everything – when we heard Dimitri's footsteps approaching. I was charged with getting him upstairs and changed while the others finished off, so I pounced on him as soon as he got through the door, putting a blindfold over his eyes before he had even put the shopping down. He just sighed and willingly followed me up to our room.

"Roza, they do this every year, so I know what to expect." He sighed as I pulled off the blindfold.

"I know, but you will still enjoy it anyway." I said, kissing him. He just grinned and pulled a shirt out of the wardrobe. He yanked his top off and pulled on his shirt, but I stopped him before buttoning it up.

I admired the way the white shirt showed off his tan and emphasized his perfectly sculpted chest. I trailed my fingers up and down, marvelling at his perfect body.

"Roza." His voice was husky and his eyes were a bit darker.

"How did I get someone so perfect?" It was a rhetorical question, but he still answered,

"It should be me asking that question." I pulled his mouth down to mine and kissed him slowly. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling us closer.

We knew it couldn't get any further than kissing, but there was nothing wrong with good old making out. He pulled me onto his bed and lay down so he was lying on top of me, but keeping most of his weight off. We stayed like that, moving our mouths in perfect sync for quite a while.

Luckily for me Dimitri never did do up his shirt so I ran my hands up and down as our tongues swirled. Not to be outdone, he used the hand that was not propping him up to move up and down my thigh, getting dangerously close to the promised land before moving back down to my knee and starting again.

"Dimka, Roza! You can come down now." We slowly pulled apart as we heard his sister calling us. Luckily, no one came up. He rested his forehead against mine and smiled gently.

"I love you." Before I could reply he closed the remaining space between our lips and trapped my bottom between his, sucking gently and tracing it with his tongue. _Damn, he was a great kisser._ "Let's go."

He started to lead me towards the stairs, but I stopped him on the landing.

"Hang on Comrade, I've got strict instructions." I held up the scarf that was doubling as a blindfold. He sighed, but knew that arguing would be fruitless, so allowed me to tie it tightly over his eyes.

Carefully, I led Dimitri down the stairs. The whole family was quite, and when Olena gave me the nod, I pulled off the blindfold and a chorus of "Happy birthday to you. Happy..." and so on. Olena had made him a cake, and as the glow of 25 candles got nearer, I saw matching grins on Dimitri's and Olena's faces.

"Make a wish Dimka." He looked at me and winked before blowing all the candles out in one go. Everyone cheered and clapped. The lights came back on, and Olena went to cut the cake as the family descended on Dimitri, practically squeezing the life out of him.

"Come on Uncle Dimka, Grandma Olena has made you a feast!" He dragged his 6'7" uncle after him, the rest of us following behind. She really had cooked a feast.

That evening, we ate until we were fit to burst, shared funny stories of birthdays past and just had a good time. After everyone had had their second helping of Birthday cake, we retired to the living room for presents.

"Me first, me first, me first!" Paul was jumping up and down, waving a parcel in front of him. He leaped onto Dimitri's lap and scrutinised his face as he opened the present. "What do you think? Mama said to get you one you hadn't read, but Grandma Olena said this used to be your favourite when you were my age. It's my favourite too. She said you'd lost it ages ago, so I got you a new one. It's in Russian and English, so you can choose..." He kept talking, and I examined the content. It was a book, a lot like the ones in Olena's bookshelf, but thicker and it looked in better condition.

"Thank you..." He whispered. I looked up at his face, and was surprised to see his expression; wistful and pensive, but very very happy. He cleared his throat. "This was the first book I had ever read by myself. It took me months, but I managed to finish it. When I learnt to speak English, I got a translation of the book to practice, and I have to say, it helped a lot. My copy was lost many years ago, and I haven't managed to find another copy because the author is not well known, only publishing in Russia. Thank you Paul." He crushed his nephew to his chest.

"That's ok uncle Dimka. It's your birthday, and I wanted to get you something special. Mama said it had to be good because you had a long year. But how can one year be longer than another? Unless it's a leap year. Did you know that there's a boy in my class that has his birthday on a leap year, and really he's only two because..."

"Paul, why don't you tell Uncle Dimka later, Aunty Vika wants to give her present now." He just shrugged and hopped down off Dimitri's lap.

Viktoria handed an odd shaped parcel to Dimitri and had a wild glint in her eye as he unwrapped it. He grinned when he saw what it was. He pulled out a cowboy hat and a sheriff's badge. There were also a few vouchers for shops in America. "Thank you Vika." She grinned as she reached over and hugged him.

"You need to keep those Yanks in order, Dimka." She said, winking at me.

Karolina and Sonya gave Dimitri a joint present of a digital camera and a photo album. "You need to start taking pictures of everything! The most recent one we have of you was from years ago!" He tried out a few shots of the family. "See, that wasn't so hard! Jeeze, you're such a man! Rose, make sure he uses it!" I saluted; they were scary when they wanted to be. "Oh, and we've taken some photo's from the last few days. Take a look."

He flipped open the album and studied the prints carefully. There were a few of Dimitri with various members of his family, and some of me as well. There were also a few of us, cuddled up on the sofa, hugging in his room by the window and, my favourite, when I put flour on his nose a few days ago. It was in black and white, and we looked so happy and free together. He was laughing one of his full laughs and I was grinning like an idiot, both of our faces close together, looking at one another. It was perfect.

Olena saw me looking at it, and said, "It's a lovely one of you two. I hope you don't mind, but I've taken a few copies as well to put in my frames."

"Not at all, Mama." He looked down at me and kissed me on the cheek. "I love you." He breathed. I just squeezed his hand, knowing I didn't have to say it back; he knew.

He seemed surprised when I handed him a present. "I thought this trip was my present?"

"It is, but you said you wanted a new duster. So here it is." He got up and put it on there and then, donning his cowboy hat and sheriff badge as well. He really did look like a cowboy.

"Last, but hopefully not least, here's our present Dimka." Olena and Yeva handed Dimitri an envelope. Puzzled, he opened it and gasped when he saw what was inside.

"What? Dimka! What did they get you?" Viktoria was trying to get a better look at the content of the envelope.

"They've...they've booked a trip for three nights in St. Petersburg for me and Roza. All expenses paid." He stood and scooped his mother and grandmother up into a massive hug. He whispered in Russian, and I managed to use the few phrases I knew to translate; thank you.

"Aww! That's so cool! How come you didn't give me that for my birthday?" She pouted and stomped her foot.

"When you've had a really rough year and need to spend some time with your significant other, I'll get you tickets." Viktoria huffed but I could see the beginnings of a smirk on her face.

"Well, it's about time. I had a feeling you two would need some _alone_ time soon. I haven't heard any headboard banging in a while..." Even though she muttered this under her breath, I still blushed tomato red and avoided looking at everyone.

"Vika..." Dimitri warned, but either no one heard her or they politely ignored it.

"Can we have more cake now?" I was thankful that Paul chose that moment to break the slightly awkward silence.

"Sure. Just give me a moment." Olena bustled out into the kitchen and Dimitri sat down again, pulling me into his lap.

"Hey." He said, brushing some hair out of my face. Viktoria was arguing with Sonya about something, and Paul was chatting away to his mum.

"Hey." We sat there for a while before I said, "Are we really going to St. Petersburg?" He nodded, grinning.

"The hotel..." But at that moment Olena bought out the cake." "We'll talk about it later." He said, kissing me on the mouth quickly before getting up.

We all had more helpings of the delicious cake and it was hours later before Dimitri and I were alone together.

"So," I said, pulling on my pyjama shorts. Dimitri was already in bed, his hands behind his head, eyes closed and smiling faintly. "What did you wish for?" His smile grew but he kept his eyes closed.

"I can't tell you, or else it won't come true." I huffed and he opened one eye, looking at me. I pouted but he just did that cool one eyebrow thing and closed his eye.

"Fine. Don't tell me. See if I care." As he was lying on my side of the bed I just walked over to his side and stayed as far away from Dimitri as possible, turning my back to him.

"Roza, don't be like that." He rolled towards me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close.

I just balled my fists up into balls and locked all my muscles, not melting into him like I normally would. I wasn't really mad at him, but it was fun to try and pretend.

"Roza," he said, dipping his head to kiss along my neck. "My love," he sucked lightly before moving up to my ear. "Don't be mad at me," he licked the shell of my ear painfully slowly. "Please." He sucked my lobe into his mouth and suckled, switching between licking and nibbling.

"Mmmm," I said, closing my eyes. "I guess you're forgiven." I melted into his strong arms, knowing that however close I got, it would never be enough.

"You know when we were downstairs..." but I was cut off; his lips were on my neck again.

"Yes?" He said, smiling against my neck.

"Ermm... H-hotel?" he was nibbling again.

He pulled back and was quiet so long; I turned around to look at his face.

"That hotel was in that book we looked at, in the library when we were staying with the keepers." We were both silent, lost in our memories of that day.

"I really wanted to kiss you. The urge was so great. It took all the self control I had not to reach out and touch your face, your hair... I was telling myself that my feelings were fading and that it was natural to carry those few lingering wants, that they would soon be gone..." I pressed a kiss to his jaw.

"When you told me the reasons for helping me escape, what was the last one?" I had just remembered, and I was eager to hear what he was thinking.

He smiled down at me. "I couldn't stand the thought of you sitting in the same cell I had, waiting for your death. It _hurt_ – and still does – to think about anything happening to you. I couldn't let that happen, not without trying."

His eyes shone with nothing but love, and I traced his beautiful smile. "That day was the first time I'd seen you smile for a long time." I kissed his nose lightly. "I missed your smile."

He grinned at that, kissing me deeply and leaving me breathless. Nothing more needed to be said, so I curled into him and started to fall asleep.

I suddenly remembered. "When do we go to St Petersburg?" He buried his face even more into my hair, trying to escape the noise.

"Tomorrow." He mumbled.

"What?" I jumped out of bed. "We haven't packed yet! What time tomorrow? How long will it take to get there? We have so much to do! How can you be sleeping?"

"Roza," He rolled over to watch me hurry to the wardrobe and start to throw clothes in a suitcase. "We'll have plenty of time to pack before we leave tomorrow. It will only take a few hours to get there, and we only need to pack stuff for two days. Now come back here, my bed is getting cold."

"Your bed?" He grinned.

"Our bed. Now get in." I didn't need telling twice.

I clambered in and worked my way back into his warm embrace. "But we start packing as soon as we get up." He smiled into my hair.

"Deal, but we're not getting up ridiculously early. I want to have a lie in and lounge around with the woman I love in bed."

I grinned into his neck. "That sounds fine with me." He pulled me even closer and just said,

"Good." Before promptly falling asleep. I fell asleep just as quickly

**Let me know what you think! Review :) xx**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry it's taken me so long to update. It's been hard keeping all my stories going, and writers block is a bitch. I've also been typing out an idea that has been going round and round in my head. It's been hard to focus on my current stories with this idea taking up most of my thoughts, so I've been trying to write some ideas down, so I can carry on with the stuff I've already got. But I need some help. I've been thinking about doing a Twilight story, with Bella as a movie star. I know it's not an original idea or anything, but I just needed to get it down on paper, as it were. But I've been stuck on ideas of what movies she should be in. I was thinking of making a series of films up, similar to Twilight, but I don't think it fits quite right. I was thinking on putting her as Rose in VA, kind of combining both my favourite stories into one. But I'm not sure if it will work, etc etc. I don't know if I should take an existing franchise and change it slightly or make up my own one. I was wondering if any of you had any ideas? I will be very thankful and any suggestions can have an extract of the next chapter, if they want, or some of the new story that I've got down. Just send me your ideas, and I'll IM you or something :) Thank you! xxxx**

When I woke up, Dimitri was still asleep, hugging me close to his body. To be honest, his death grip in inescapable, even when he's asleep, so I just cuddled back into him and traced patterns on his bare chest, waiting for him to get up.

"Mmm, that tickles." He still had his eyes closed, but a sexy-ass grin spread across his face.

"Morning." I said, pressing a kiss onto his collarbone. "What time do we need to be there?" I was getting pretty excited about this trip; us, alone, in a hotel room...

"Our room is booked from six tonight. We'll get going after lunch." He still had his eyes closed and buried his face into my hair.

"Mmmm." He started to kiss his way up and down my neck. "I guess we have some time then."

"I love how you taste right here." He murmured, suckling on the spot beneath my ear. I just let out a shaky breath, words escaping me.

"I love how you whimper when I kiss you here." He said, moving to my collar bone, and sure enough I whimpered. He laughed breathlessly, his warm breath on my skin making me shiver.

"I love how you smell." He inhaled deeply in the crook of my neck.

"I lo-"

"Dimitri? Rose? Are you up?" He sighed. Karolina had the worst timing ever.

"Yeah. We'll be down in a minute." Dimitri called out.

"Ok. Mama just wanted to know how many for breakfast." I tried my best not to look disgruntled, but failed miserably.

"I know Roza, I know. But in a few hours we will be properly alone." He kissed my head, and then climbed out of bed. I followed, stuffing some clothes in the open suitcase as I was getting dressed.

Breakfast was a subdued affair, with only us, Olena and Karolina. The rest were either asleep or out.

"So you two. I've called the taxi firm, and they will pick you up in two hours. Are you all packed?"

"Mostly, just a few more things need to be added." I was making a mental list of all the things we needed to pack, and most of it I had shoved into the suitcase already.

"Oh good. Dimka, I was wondering if you could run some errands for me? It won't take that long, but they are quite urgent." Of course, Dimitri couldn't say no to his mother, and I went upstairs to finish packing.

I was nearly finished, when I heard a knock at the door.

"Can I come in?" It was Viktoria. I had been spending a lot more time with her these past days, and we had become quite close.

"Sure." She came and sat on the bed, and pretended to look through what I had packed, but I knew there was something she wanted to talk about. But rather than push her, I let her make small talk for a while before she got down to the real reason for her visit.

"Rose, can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can." She was looking down at her hands and playing with her fingers.

"Well, you know last time you came here, and all that stuff with Roland happened..."

"Viktoria-"

"I don't want to talk about that, it was something else. Well, you know my friend Nikolai?" He liked her more than as a friend, I was sure about that. "We've been hanging out a lot recently, and I kinda wanted to know, did you really mean that stuff you said? About him liking me more than a friend?" I fought to suppress a smile.

"Of course I did. He couldn't stop looking at you. Why do you ask?" My smile was becoming harder to conceal, but I wanted to know why she was asking – what can I say? I'm nosy.

"Well, he's a really nice guy and I think I like him more than as a friend. I wanted to...I don't know, maybe ask him out? But I don't want him to say no. I've asked Karolina, and she said let him make the first move, but Sonya said just go for it. What should I do?" I was touched that she had come to me, and luckily this was one of my areas of expertise.

"He seemed like a smart enough bloke. Just flirt with him a bit, and see if he can take a hint. If not, just go for it. If he says no, move on. It's not worth pining after him if he doesn't feel the same way." I realised how hypocritical I sounded. But then again, I was 99% positive he would either take the hint, or say yes. "But I'm certain he feels the same way."

The smile I got in return nearly spilt her face in two.

"Are you sure?

"The only way you'll find out is if you ask him." She blushed a bit.

"So, excited about your trip?" I narrowed my eyes at her, but answered it anyway.

"Yeah, I've never been to St. Petersburg before, and I know Dimitri's wanted to know go for a while." Not to mention the hotel room...

"It's amazing. Mama's taken us a few times when we were younger, and I loved it." We chatted about the trip a bit more, and she helped me finish packing as we talked. Two hands were better than one, and by the time Dimitri returned we were sprawled out on the bed, talking about everything and nothing.

"Hey girls." I patted the spot next to me and he squashed on with us, listening to our mindless chatter.

"Right, you two have been giving each other longing looks for quite awhile now, and it's starting to creep me out. Have fun in St. Petersburg, I'll see you when you get back." She kissed us both on the cheek and pranced out the room.

"Ready to go?" He looked like a kid at Christmas; his eyes lit up and everything. I pecked him on the nose and got up.

"Can't wait!" I was really excited; I'd always wanted to see where Dimitri grew up, and St. Petersburg was part of his childhood. And I kinda just always wanted to go there.

Right on cue, the horn of the taxi sounded from outside. Dimitri grabbed the suitcase and gestured for me to go first through the door, grinning wildly.

We hugged and kissed the family that had congregated at the foot of the stairs, but we would be coming back in a few days, so the goodbyes didn't last long.

Ever the perfect gentleman, Dimitri opened the door for the taxi for me and put our bags in the boot. After a quick conversation with the driver that I didn't understand, we were off. There was no need to fill the silence with mindless chatter as I would normally do with some; Dimitri and I were so in sync that silence wasn't awkward. We just sat close, his arm round my waist and mine resting in his lap.

As we got into the city, Dimitri pointed out the famous land marks as we passed them, but the nearer we got the hotel all I could focus on was his hand resting on my knee, slowly working his way up my thigh, and then back down again. As the taxi pulled up to the front foyer of the hotel, Dimitri just shoved some money through the window and hurried the bell boys along with our luggage.

Even though I was just as eager as he was to get into the room, I stopped to admire the amazing architecture that was Kempinski Hotel Moika. By the time I had gotten over the initial shock of us sleeping in such luxury for a few nights, I went to join Dimitri in the lobby. He had already checked us in, had the bags sent up to our room and was waiting on the room key.

The woman behind the desk was about 22ish, blonde and very, very pretty. I knew she was a human, but she had the face of a supermodel. As if I didn't have enough reasons to hate her, she was eyeing up Dimitri as if he were a piece of meat. I walked over to him and out my hand on his arm, staking my claim. I knew it was petty, and I was the one he was spending the weekend with, the one he was living with, the one who had met his family etc. Nevertheless, I still felt a sense of accomplishment when I saw her face fall when he wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed the top of my head.

My possessive streak totally flew out the window when she handed Dimitri the room key. He barely threw a thank you over his shoulder as he ushered me over to the lift. I really wanted to ravish him there and then, but we were not the only ones in the lift, and it would have been very impolite.

We were practically running down the richly decorated hallway by the time we reached our floor. Dimitri fumbled with the key and eventually yanked the door open, but the sight of the room was enough to make us stop for a moment.

Directly opposite the door was a wall of floor to ceiling windows, overlooking the glittering St. Petersburg landscape. The king size bed the main feature of the room, but in doors leading off there was a sunken bath big enough for about five, and living space with plush leather sofas and a large television. There was a table that we could eat our room service if we wanted, and on it were the complimentary chocolates and the expensive looking toiletries.

"This room is...amazing." it must have cost an arm and a leg, not to mention the cost of the taxi and the entrance fees for the attractions etc. I had often wondered how Olena and Yeva afforded to live in their huge house with room for _all _the family, and afford food and everything else.

"I know." His voice was closer than I thought it would be – which is bad on my part, badass guardian and all that – and sent shivers down my spine. I continued to look out over the Neva River.** (A.N. I've never been to Russia or anything, so sorry if I get the details wrong)**

He came up behind me and wrapped his arms round my waist. I melted into his embrace and sighed, perfectly content. I had my man, I had my best friend, I was her guardian and nothing was coming after us. Yep, pretty good I think.

Dimitri pressed open mouth kissed slowly up and down my neck, pulling me closer to his body. A small moan escaped my lips and I felt him smile against my shoulder. He lightly bit down on the sensitive spot on my neck, making me whimper and tangle my fingers in his hair, pulling him closer.

*** M scene ***

He snaked his fingers under my top, slowly working their way up until they were brushing the outline of my bra before trailing back down my ribs. He made his circuit a few times, all the while suckling on my neck. By this point, my nipples were straining against the material of my bra, begging for his touch. I moaned loudly when he finally touched me, rubbing in small circles and sending electric shocks from the tips of my roots to my feet. I leant further back into his embrace, grinding against the prominent hardness in his trousers.

He groaned and spun me round, fusing our mouths together. It had been too long since he had kissed me like that. I wrapped my arms round his neck as his hands grabbed at my waist, pulling us as close as possible. His hands moved down and cupped my arse before lifting me up so I could wrap my legs round his waist.

He continued to kiss me rough and hard as he walked us over to the huge bed. He lowered me onto my back and stripped off his shirt before bending down and joining our mouths again. I managed to wriggle out of my top as he attacked my neck again, but I lost all ability to move when his hands cupped my breasts through my sheer lace bra.

"You're really trying to kill me." He growled, nibbling on my ear.

He worked off my jeans and ground his jean-clad hardness into my hot core, making me throw my head back and moan, giving him better access to my neck.

"Too many clothes." I gasped, tugging on his belt. I don't think I managed to get the words out, but he knew what I wanted. Left in only our underwear, we knew that we weren't going to last long. I dipped my hand into his boxers, stroking and pumping his length. I don't get why Lissa used to complain when Aaron asked her for a hand job; I liked tossing Dimitri off. It made him feel good and the noises and expressions he made turned me on even more, as well as the fact that I had the evidence of how much he enjoyed what I was doing with my hand. That, and it was fucking hot.

"Roza," he gasped, his words just about coherent because his lips were still very much attached to mine. "I want to worship your body like you deserve, but I _need_ you now." Oh Jesus, his husky Russian accent made that sound even more sexy.

I pulled back so I could look directly in his deep chocolate brown eyes, clouded with lust, but still shining with love. I tried to summon up my sexiest voice and traced my fingers lightly over his muscular chest. "Then take me."

I swear he growled as his mouth once again took possession of mine. He all but ripped off my bra and threw it over his shoulder, doing the same with my lace panties. He attached his mouth to the hardened peak of my nipple and reached down to play with my clitoris while I tried desperately to rid him of his boxers – which was difficult, let me tell you.

Finally I managed to rid him of the offensive material and pulled him closer. He didn't need telling twice. He moved his mouth back up to mine as he positioned himself at my entrance before thrusting hard, filling me in one stroke. I cried out against his mouth as he moaned, our sounds of passion swallowed up by the other.

He set a fast and powerful pace, bringing us both to the edge fast. I was right there, just one more thrust, hitting that spot deep inside me would make me fall. I murmured incoherent nothings, needing to feel that coil wound tight in my abdomen snap. Just one more...

And then he stopped.

I looked up at him in confusion, the need to climax more than I could bear. He gave me a very sexy smirk before kissing along my chest, but perfectly still inside of me. He waited for a few moments before resuming his pace, bringing me to the edge again, and then he stopped. He continued teasing me, the coil winding tighter than I thought was possible.

"Dimitri." I whimpered.

"It will be worth it Roza, believe me." His voice sounded as strained as mine. He bought me closer to the edge each time, and God, it was too much.

"Please!" I gasped as he stopped once more. He froze, his mouth by my ear.

"Say it again." He growled.

"Please!" It was more of a whimper, but it still sent a shiver down his back. He cursed in Russian before picking his pace up once again, but this time it was different. I could feel his determination to finish, and finish hard.

"Beg." He ordered. I found demanding Dimitri more arousing then I thought I ever would, and I happily complied.

"Please! Please. Pleasepleaseplease..." Words escaped me as the coil wound tighter and tighter.

He was pounding in and out of me, hard and fast, hitting that spot just right...the coil snapped.

I screamed louder than I ever had before as I saw stars, coming harder than possibly anyone ever had before. He reached his peak – loudly – as I did, continuing to pound in and out as he spilled into me. My toes curled and my back arched off the bed as I came again, my clit throbbing almost to the point of pain where it rubbed against him as he still moved, causing delicious friction just where I needed it. I came for the third and last time, still screaming and moving my hips in time with his.

As we both came down from our highs, I had never felt so satisfied. Dimitri dropped his head to my shoulder as he tried to control his erratic breathing. I rested my cheek against his silky hair, trying to stop my heart from beating out my chest.

When we were able to at least try to breathe like normal people, he looked at me with so much love and happiness it hurt. I leaned up to press my lips against his in a sweet, lingering kiss. He pulled out of me and rolled us onto our side.

*** End of M Scene ***

He pulled the blankets over our sweaty bodies and pulled me close.

"It's been too long." He panted.

"I know. I felt like I was about to spontaneously combust." I sighed, burrowing even further into his neck.

"You have no idea how much I love you, my beautiful, _beautiful_ Roza." He whispered in my ear. I pressed my lips to his jaw.

"Trust me, the feeling is mutual." I felt him grinning against my neck as he started to fall asleep.

**Review and tell me what you thought :) Oh, and don't forget to send me your ideas for my new story, if you have any xxxx**


	11. Chapter 11

**Oops! I accidentally uploaded chapter 1 again, sorry! And thanks for letting me know :)**

**Thanks for all the reviews, they really make my day :) I know it's been a while, but to make up for it, here's a really long chapter**

The smell of freshly made pancakes woke me up. I rolled over into my front, expecting to find myself a warm Russian. Instead, the bed was empty. I sat up and spotted Dimitri setting the breakfast onto a tray from the cart-thing that room service bring in. Luckily for me, he only had his boxers on and he caught me checking out his perfect behind.

"Ahh, so you're awake?" I nod, patting the space beside me.

"How long have you been up?" He bought the tray over and climbed in, setting it down on his lap.

"About twenty minutes. I knew you'd be hungry, so I called up for room service. Is bilini ok?" He had a very sexy smirk on his face, jammy bugger; he knew exactly _why_ I would be hungry this morning.

"Perfect. Now come over here." He grinned and leaned in. I kissed him with a bit more force than one would deem appropriate this early in the morning, but he defiantly enjoyed it.

"As much as I would like to carry on, you need to eat. You need your strength for what I have planned for you." Bloody hell. He winked and I nearly jumped him, fuck the breakfast.

He offered me a plate and my stomach gave me away. I wolfed down my breakfast and waited impatiently for him to finish. As soon as he set the tray down on the bedside table I pounced. Needless to say, we didn't leave the hotel room for some time.

A few hours – and a shower – later, we emerged from the room. Hand in hand we walked into the bustling streets of St. Petersburg, no map or itinerary planned, just following our noses. Well, Dimitri's nose. I had no idea where we were going, and he had been here before.

We had a quick look around Peterhof and The Hermitage museum before lunch. The rooms were absolutely magnificent, and I had never seen gardens like it. We'd been on school trips with the academy, but America didn't have this type of history. Just knowing that hundreds of years ago, Tsars and Tsarists were walking in my exact footsteps was amazing.

We ate lunch in a small cafe on the corner of the street. You know, the type of one where the owners have been there for generations, and they know all the locals? I loved that. We went to the Leningrad _Zoo until closing time, and leisurely made our way back to the hotel, stopping for a bite to eat in one of the local Russian-Olive-Garden-equivalents. _

_Dimitri handed me the door key and hung back as we approached the room, which surprised me. I shrugged and opened the door._

_I gasped as I saw what awaited me._

_The scent of roses hit me as I stood in the doorway. There were vases of red, purple and light pink roses everywhere, and a bucket with Champaign in ice on the bedside table. The __lights were off, but red and pink candles were scattered all over the room, filling the room with a beautiful glow._

_"What...?" I was frozen in place, taking in the wondrous sight in front of me._

_"I arranged it this morning. I promised I would worship your body, and tonight I will." His low and husky voice sent shivers down my spine. He took my hand and led me into the room, closing the door._

_He let go of my hand to open the bottle of Champaign and poured us two glasses. I raised my eyebrow – or tried – but he just smiled. "You can drink at 18 in Russia." We chinked our glasses and took a sip, all the while maintaining intense eye contact. It was chilled to perfection and I could tell it was the expensive kind._

_When I had finished, he took my glass and set it down before taking my hand and drawing me closer. We touched all along our bodies and the electricity crackled between us. He leaned down and brushed my lips with his, barely touching. I wrapped my arms round his neck and deepened the kiss. He tangled his fingers in my hair and wrapped the other arm around my waist, leading me over to the bed. _

_***M rated scene***_

_He laid me down on the bed gently, his body covering mine. His hand wrapped around my waist slid down the back of my thigh and pulled it so it was wrapped around him. He pulled back and took off my top, his eyes focusing immediately on my chest. I helped him get out of his jeans as he pulled his top over his head. I wriggled out of my shorts and laid back, letting him do whatever he wanted._

_My underwear was thrown over his shoulder faster than I thought was possible, and I lay naked for him, ready and waiting. He kissed me, his mouth rough and needy against mine. I moaned and arched my back, desperate to feel him against me._

_He broke away for air first, reaching behind my head and retrieved a basin from the bedside table. He resumed kissing my neck and face, his free hand trailing over my breasts and thighs, slipping in between them to where I need him the most, before moving away again._

_"What's...in the bowl?" It was hard to frame a coherent question when his lips and hands were all over me, but I really wanted to know._

_"Chocolate." He said in between kisses. "I know how much you love chocolate. And I love making you feel good. Why not put them together?"_

This man will be the death of me.

He broke away and sat back on his feet, taking me in before dipping his finger in the bowl and smearing some on my stomach. It was slightly cool and it felt really good against my heated skin. I sighed and closed my eyes, letting the feel of him smearing chocolate all over my body engulf me.

He smeared a trail up my stomach and over my breasts, nearly covering each one completely, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. My nipples sprung to attention, begging for his touch again. The trail then led back down my torso and over my thighs, making me shiver with want. His fingers dipped in and out of my folds, and I was sure that he left no surface uncovered.

He kissed me hard, swallowing my moans of pleasure. The bowl was placed on the side once more and his hands returned to my body, his fingers making small circles low down on my hips. He pulled away, brushing his lips over mine before working his way down to my stomach.

I watched as his tongue darted out and followed the trail of chocolate, making sure he had caught all of it before moving away. The feel of his hot, wet mouth all over my body sent waves of desire through me. The things that man did to me.

He slowly made his way towards my breast, the suspense nearly killing me! S-L-O-W-L-Y, he trailed the tip of his tongue around my breast, licking all the chocolate but missing my nipple, getting purposely close before moving away again.

"Dimitri." I panted. I couldn't stand it any more. My nipple was painfully hard, and I felt like I would combust without his touch.

He growled and took my breast into his mouth, roughly suckling on it. I moaned and threw my head back, his tongue and teeth sending electric shocks down my spine.

After all the chocolate was gone, he repeated it with the other. I was panting like some wanton woman by the time he was finished, and his tongue followed the trail along my collarbone. He nipped as he went and my hips bucked, desperate to get the friction I needed. He moved his hips out of the way every time, teasing me.

I whimpered as he took my earlobe between his teeth and growled, "I love the way you taste." His rough-velvet voice was husky with arousal, and his delicious accent sent shivers down my spine.

He slid down my body, nipping and kissing as he went. At last, he reached where I wanted, no _needed_ him. He hooked my legs over his shoulders, and kissed his way along my thigh, getting closer and closer to the promised land before switching to the other leg.

"Please." I moaned.

I could feel him smile against my thigh, and bit down. I moaned loudly and tried not to explode then and there. He kissed his way back up my thigh, getting closer and closer, closer and closer... I was waiting for him to pull away, move to the other leg, stop...

To say I was happy when he didn't was an understatement.

He dived straight in, lapping and sucking on whatever his mouth could find. My toes curled as he got every trace of chocolate out of my hot, wet cunt. I was so close.

He picked up the pace, thrusting his tongue in and out of me. He added his fingers and sucked on my bundle of nerves. I was shaking and with one curl of his fingers, I exploded. His fingers kept moving as I rode it out. Once I'd finished screaming, he kissed his way back up my body. His soft lips all over my body was a feeling I never wanted to forget. Hell, I wish I could feel it all the time.

I am not ashamed to admit that I attacked his mouth as soon as it was near enough. I could feel his hardness against my stomach, and wrapped my hand around it, slowly pumping his engorged member in my hand.

"Ro-" He groaned. "Roza, stop." He was panting hard, and I suppose my tongue in his mouth didn't make speech any easier for him.

"Why?" I was surprised at how husky my voice sounded, but with the amount of screaming I had done in the last few days, it shouldn't have shocked me.

"Tonight is about you." He gasped. "I...fuck...I want to make you feel good." I just about got the jist of what he said. I moved my hand faster and he groaned into my neck.  
>"I like making you feel good too." I whispered into his ear, sucking on his lobe before bringing my mouth back to his.<p>

He gave in and let me carry on. I could feel when his hot breath on my shoulder started to come in quick pants, and knew he was close. I moved my hand away and he lined his hips up with mine.

"Uh, you feel so good." He grunted as he slammed into me.

We set a hard and fast pace, it feeling too good to slow down. At least this bed was far enough away from the wall. We didn't want them to complain.

The coil in my stomach was winding tighter and tighter. I could feel him throbbing inside me, and started to swivel my hips. He swore in Russian and pulled out. I looked at him, confused.

"What-" I panted.

"Turn around." He demanded. I have to admit, his rough-velvet voice giving commands turned me on even more. I complied.

He ran his hands over my thighs and pulled me up so I was on all fours. The amount of times we'd had sex, we'd never done it like this. He removed his hands and the suspense, the waiting for him to touch me had me shaking.

His lips pressed their way up my spine and my neck. "You have no idea how much I love you."

Before I had a chance to reply, he thrusted into me.

I gasped at the new sensations the position gave me. He was perfectly aligned with that spot deep inside me, and I could feel all of him, and then some.

He groaned out my name with every thrust, and I'm not even sure what noises came out of my mouth. I'd always thought that this position was impersonal and degrading, but the feeling of Dimitri pounding in and out of me, running his hands over my heated skin, pressing kisses to my shoulders as his chest pressed against my back and his arms wrapped around me, felt very intimate and not at all degrading.

I was right at the edge, my legs shaking and my toes curling. He was close too, but I tried to hold off; I wanted to come with him.

He picked up his place, and I screamed as the waves of our orgasms washed over us.

* * * End of M scene * * *

We collapsed in a hot, sweaty and sticky heap. He gathered me close and I peppered kisses along his neck, waiting for him to catch his breath. I felt his breathing even out, and start to slow.

"We can't go to sleep like this!" He opened one eye, confused. "We're all sticky." He closed his eye and a panty wetting smile spread across his face – well, they would have been wet, if I were wearing any.

"Let's go wash it off then." He jumped up and threw me over his shoulder, sprinting towards the bathroom.

I woke up to sunlight warming my back. I was still sprawled across Dimitri's chest, the covers just covering our waists. His arms were wrapped around me, and I couldn't move, even if I wanted to.

I rested my head back on his chest, and let the memories of last night plague my head. Dimitri's hands on my skin...his mouth locked with mine...his oh-so-talented fingers...his rough velvet voice...the hot water of the shower as we came together...the cold tiles against my back as I wrapped my legs around his waist...the anticipation as I put my hands against the shower wall and he took me from behind...being bent over the table in the living space...the rough sex in the bath that caused water to splash all over the floor...

I would have to admit, that last night was one of the best I had ever had. The stamina that man had was incredible, and I didn't even know I could come that many times, and in so many different ways. We were both thoroughly exhausted by the time we collapsed on the bed only hours ago.

My stomach growled, and I very carefully reached across Dimitri to get the phone, determined to use my basic knowledge of Russian and order our breakfasts.

As soon as room service picked up and a stream of Russian came out of the other end, I lost all confidence in my so called language skills. I tried desperately to remember back to my early teenage years to when I had decided to learn Russian. It had only lasted for about a year, and I was terrible at it, but I was pretty sure food was included in the course.

I stuttered and mumbled my way through, but I was pretty sure they got the basis of what I wanted.

"That was awful. It was so bad, I wouldn't even call it Russian." His eyes were still closed, but his lips were turned up into a smile. His voice was still rough and husky from the night before, and hearing it again sent shivers down my spine.

"I was starving and you were asleep."

"You should have woken me. And you know, there is a menu over there that you could have ordered off." He pointed his chin towards the table. "And they speak English." I gaped at him.

"And you didn't think of telling me this before because?" He smiled again.

"It was fun to watch you try. And it's sexy hearing you speak Russian. Or at least trying to." He chucked and went to get out of bed. He groaned as he swung his legs over the bed and I giggled.

"Feeling a little sore, comrade?" He groaned and sank back down onto his back. I leaned over to kiss him on the nose. "Was last night too much for you, old man?" He growled and pulled me down onto his chest.

"I'm not old." He went to tickle me, but I squealed and rolled us over. I laughed when he groaned.

"I think you need to take it easy for a while." I kissed him but pulled away before he could deepen it. I smiled at his pout. "That's how you got into this mess in the first place." He grinned at me.

"And I would happily do it again." He fused his mouth back to mine. "And again." He slid his hands around my waist. "And again." He ground his half-erect cock into my hips. "Ouch." He groaned again and rolled back onto his back.

I propped myself up on my elbow and looked at him. "Go have a shower. It will make you feel better." He sighed and heaved himself off the bed. I admired his retreating figure – and very fine ass – as he shuffled over to the bathroom.

I picked up our discarded clothes and tossed them in our suitcase. Pulling on a fresh pair of clothes, I yanked a brush through my damp hair and sat on the bed, waiting for Dimitri to finish. There were a few messages from Lissa on my phone, so I killed time listening to what I'd missed. I had been texting her every few days in Baia, but since we'd been in St. Petersburg, I was ashamed to admit I'd been neglecting her.

I called her and filled her in on the events of the last few days, missing out the X-rated stuff, and asked her how it was going there. She was sorting out her Leigh application and course options. She wanted to take political courses, you know, on account of her being Queen and all, but I found politics mind numbingly boring. She was trying to see if they would let her – and me – take a biology based course, but the chances were looking slim, mainly because it had nothing to do with politics. Oh well, they were putting us on an advance program so we would be finished in two and a half years, two if we were lucky.

I sighed and flopped back on the bed. The way it was looking now, I was going to spend two years away from Dimitri, bored stiff. To be honest, I couldn't see anything good about that.

Said sexy Russian emerged from the bathroom in a gust of steam and wearing a tiny white towel rapped around his waist, his wet hair dripping onto his shoulders, looking like he just stepped out of a movie or something.

"What are you gaping at? You'll catch flies." The beginnings of one of his full smiles crossing his face.

I jumped up and flung my arms around his neck, burrowing my head in the crook of his neck. Suddenly, the looming separation seemed at lot harder than I originally thought. I'd gotten so used to seeing Dimitri every day, being with him almost 24/7, falling asleep with him next to me, and his being the first face I saw every morning. Living without that, living without him...I don't think I could bare it.

"Roza? What's wrong?" He pressed a kiss to my hair and stroked my back. I couldn't tell him, not yet. When we got back home and were alone again. I wouldn't ruin his holiday and time with his family.

"Mmm, you just smell so good." He laughed, picked me up, swung me round. When he put me down I kissed him. "So, recovered yet lover boy?"

"I'm ready for round two, if that's what you mean." He grinned, pulling me flush against him.

"Round two?" His eyes gazed into mine, and my knees started to go weak. "I thought it was round five?" He laughed and grabbed my waist. "Or six?" He picked me up again and hitched my legs around his waist. "Or seven?" He rushed over to the bed and plonked me down. "Or eight? Or ni-" His frantic lips cut me off.

A knock on the door stopped it turning into round ten. He grumbled and started towards the door. "Uh, comrade?" He looked back. "Don't you think it would be better if I went to answer the door?" I looked down at the very small towel wrapped around his waist, not doing a very good job in hiding the tenting underneath it. He grinned and went to dig some clothes out of the suitcase.

Luckily, my basic knowledge of Russian food allowed me to order a somewhat decent breakfast. We ate it before heading out again, wanting to see more of the city while we still could.

We started off with a boat trip to see the monuments and we wondered around the streets for a while, looking in the little corner shops and souvenir stalls, buying presents for the Belikovs and Lissa. We bought lunch from one of those street vender things. Once again, I had no idea what I was eating, but it tasted really good.

As instructed, I was taking photos of the places we'd been and Dimitri had been asking passers by – nice ones, that didn't look like they'd steal his camera – to take ones of us.

We walked in Alexander Garden, sat down and watched the world go by. I sat in between his legs and he wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder.

"Roza?" He kissed my neck. "My love." He took my earlobe into his mouth. "My life." He kissed my jaw. "What was wrong this morning?" He kissed me on the cheek. Oh crap, he noticed.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He laughed against my cheek.

"I can tell when you're lying, Roza." He kissed the corner of my mouth. "And I can tell when some thing's bothering you." He nudged his nose against my cheek bone. "Please, baby. What's bothering you?"

I sighed and leaned back against his chest. "I spoke to Lissa today. She was talking about the courses she wants to take, and she's decided on politics. I wanted to take a biology course of some type, but she's not sure if they'll allow her. I mean us." I sighed again. "I just realised that not only am I going to spend two years missing you terribly, it'll be a complete waste of time." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I'll be without you again, and I can't stand that. To not see you every day, to go to bed alone, to wake up to a cold bed...Last time...it nearly killed me. I don't think I can live without you again."

I was bombarded with memories of our past separations. When Tasha was all over him at Christmas; when I'd found out he was going to leave and have children with her; when I saw him care-free and joking around with her; when I'd told him to leave with her; when he told me, just after he declared his love to me, that it wouldn't work; when, just hours after we'd first made love, he died; those months I'd had to live without him; when I thought I'd killed him; when he came back, but I still couldn't have him... Every single moment we'd been apart was agony. I didn't think, no, I knew I couldn't do it again.

"Oh Roza." He stood up, dragging me with him. "Look at me." I kept my eyes focused on the floor, not wanting him to see the tears in my eyes. "Baby, look at me." He tilted my chin up with his finger. "I love you." I sighed, fighting the tears that threatened to spill. "I love you so much. We knew this was going to be hard when it started, but you know what? We did it anyway. Look at us. Look at all we've been through in the last few months." He took my hands in his. "I think it's safe to say we've been through hell and back." He smiled and I gave him a watery one in response. "We've been through so much, but here we are. We've made it. Together. We can deal with a few weeks apart." I frowned, confused. He moved one of his hands to cup my face. "Baby, they won't keep you locked up for two years. The semesters are a lot shorter than they are in high school, so you'll be back for your holiday in a few months. And you honestly think Christian and I won't visit at every chance? Roza, I love you. I love you more than my own life. You can't honestly think I'd ever let you be away from me for that long?" He rested his forehead against mine, our noses touching. "Roza, it hurts to be away from you. It actually hurts. When you're gone, it feels like you've taken a part of me with you. You are my life." With that he leaned forward and pressed his lips lightly against mine. "I am incomplete without you."

That was it, I was done. I let the tears flow and buried my face into the crook of his neck, pulling myself as close as I could. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and matched my iron grip around his neck.

He muttered loving words in Russian until I had calmed down enough. Reluctantly I let him go, wiping the tears from my face. I laughed, trying to diffuse the silence. "Sorry." I sniffed. "Bit of an over reaction, I think."

He smiled sadly at me. "Roza, it was not an exaggeration. I feel exactly the same." He pulled me close again. "Just don't focus on the separation too much. We're together now, and we will be again soon." He kissed my hair. "You know what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder." I was doubtful, and I could tell that he had a hard time believing it too.

"It's not possible." I said, my voice muffled by his shoulder.

"What do you mean?" His lips were right up against my ear.

"I can't love you any more than I do now." He moved away from me slightly to capture my lips with his, kissing me with such passion that my knees when weak.

We pulled away away when we ran out of air. He pulled me close once more and swayed us slightly. "The feeling is completely mutual, my love."

We stayed like that for an immeasurable period of time, just enjoying each other's body heat and the perfect landscape around us.

He suddenly sighed and kissed my hair before moving backwards. "We need to get going." I looked up at him confused. He gave me a massive smile. "We don't want to be late." He took my hand and started leading me towards the exit. I dragged my feet, and he smiled back at me. "It's a nice surprise, honest." I rolled my eyes but let him lead me.

"Why are we going back to the hotel?" He grinned.

"We need to make a quick stop before we get there." We went back to the hotel room and he went straight to the suitcase, rummaging through it and undoing the inner lining before taking out two clothes bags. He opened one bag and checked what was inside before handing it to me. "Go put this on in the bathroom. I'll be waiting for you out here." He smiled me when I looked at him suspiciously.

I went into the bathroom as asked, and when I opened the bag, I gasped.

It was a beautiful burgundy, floor length dress. It has a thin silver beaded belt just under the bust, and the burgundy silk of the dress looked quite clingy. I quickly pulled off my clothes and slipped on the dress, loving the way it felt against my skin.

It looked great, if I do say so myself.

The burgundy colour went well with my colouring, and the shape of my dress fitted my form perfectly. The silk clung to my ample chest just right, the material clinging to my hips and bum perfectly, not revealing everything, just hinting at what was underneath. There was a slit up one side, reaching to about mid thigh. The cut and fit of the dress was modest, but it still showed my figure in a hinting-at-the-goods kind of way.

The style of the dress just made me even more curious about where Dimitri was taking me. I sighed, having no ideas other than a restaurant, but he wouldn't go to all this trouble just to take me to dinner, would he?

I found my make up bag on the counter and I brushed some mascara and eye liner on my eyes and applied some lip gloss. The dress was so magnificent that I didn't need a full face of make up. I ran a brush through my thick waves, styling them so they flowed down my back. I looked in the bag and found a pair of heels and a bolero that completed the outfit perfectly. I wondered fleetingly who put this outfit together; I doubted Dimitri would match the cut of the bolero with the lines of the dress so well.

But all thoughts of fashionistas went out the window when I saw what was waiting for me in the bedroom.

Dimitri was dressed in a Tuxedo, and it fitted his body perfectly. The cut of the trousers accented the length of his legs and hinted at his muscular thighs. The shirt was tight fitting, clinging to his muscular chest, and the jacket hung down to his waist, falling just above his perfectly formed behind. His bow tie was hanging loose around his neck, and I'm not ashamed to admit, I wanted to jump him then and there.

And from the look on his face, the thought crossed his mind too.

"Roza, you look...wow." I smiled and walked over to him, pulling on the edges of his tie.

"You look like James Bond." I grinned and kissed him lightly. "Only sexier." He smiled and looked down at the dress once more.

"You look absolutely amazing." He kissed me on the cheek, before straightening up and trying to tie his tie. After a few failed attempts, I swatted his hands away and sorted it out.

"I've always hated these things." He said watching my hands work. "I usually just go with a clip on, but I thought I'd do it properly this time." I smiled.

"Lissa's dad used to have trouble all the time. Me and Lissa used to watch her mum tie her dad's tie before every function." I said, reminiscing about my childhood. "One night, when he was still getting ready, Lissa's mother taught us how to tie one. We spent the rest of the evening tying and retying them on one another."

I smoothed down his collar and straightened his lapels before stepped back to admire my handy work. "There." I kissed him lightly. "Perfect." He smiled and kissed me again. I pulled back before it went any further, wanting to know what he had in store for me. "Come on Comrade, where are you taking me?"

He shook his head. "No you don't. It's a surprise." He pecked me one on the lips before starting to head towards the door. "Coming?" I followed him, really curious now.

He hailed a taxi out side and opened the door for me. I slid in, still curious and suspicious about how he had arranged all this without me knowing. He said something in Russian to the driver, and we were away.

I don't know if it was on purpose, but the taxi went through all the streets of St. Petersburg. The beautiful mix of old and new buildings glittered with the lights against the black night sky.

We pulled up out side a very posh looking restaurant. He paid the driver and we got out, looking up at the magnificent building in front of us.

"Do you want to eat today? Or we could just gawk at the exterior all evening, if you like." I hit him on the arm, and he just laughed.

"Are we really eating in here?" This place looked like a glass of water would cost my half my months salary.

"Of course. Come on." He took my hand and lead me towards the entrance.

The maître d' spoke in Russian, of course, but I caught 'Belikov' and the word for 'table'. I also understood when he turned and spoke to me, offering to take my bolero. He lead us to a secluded table in the corner of the restaurant, overlooking the water front. He set down our menus and tried to pull my seat out for me, but Dimitri shooed him away.

"Thank you." I said, a bit preoccupied with his breath on my neck as he leaned down. He pressed a kiss on my shoulder and took his seat opposite me. I cleared my throat. "This is...This food much cost a fortune. How...when did you book us this table? And why? You don't need to splash all this money on me." I put my hand over his to show him that, while it was unnecessary, it was appreciated.

"Roza." He said, kissing my hand. "You deserve the very best in life." I think I visibly swooned. "And besides, this is paid for by Babushka. The next part of the evening is on me." He smiled, making my heart beat that bit faster.

"But, why would she do that? She hates...I mean, I don't think she likes me that much. She pretended not to speak English the first time I met her, and then she said some stuff..." Mainly about how I wasn't a match for her grandson and I was a failure.

"Babushka is just tough on strangers. Especially Americans." He winked at me. "She likes you now." I was still sceptical.

"But how-"

"Roza, you would know if she didn't like you. Trust me, Lina and Sonya's previous partners have experienced the wrath of her, and she likes you. Trust me." I was still a bit uneasy. "Roza, you bought her favourite grandson back from the dead." He grinned. "She loves you." I felt a small smile tug on my lips.

"Fine. But how did she afford all this? Thinking about it, how did Olena and Yeva afford this trip? How do they manage to live in that huge house and feed everyone?" It was something that had crossed my mind before. "I didn't mean to pry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I was just thinking aloud. Don't worry, I didn't-" I back tracked, realising just how rude and nosey I was being.

"Roza, you can ask me anything, you know that." He smiled reassuringly. "Babushka's husband, my Grandfather, loved her very much, but he was a royal Moroi. She was his guardian when she was younger, about your age. They fell in love, but he wasn't allowed to marry her, on account of her, um, species? Anyway, he left her to get married, and when she found out she was pregnant with my mother, he sent her money. A lot of money.

"She invested most of it, and by the time my mother was 18, there was a fair amount of money laid aside for her. When Lina came along, they started looking for houses. Just before Sonya was born, they moved into that house. My Grandfather found out where they were, and that he had grandchildren. He visited a lot, and paid the bills and the mortgage. He died when I was five. I remember him coming around every few months. He was a kind man, and I remember that he spoke funny. In his will he split his fortune with both his families. Babushka and Mama invested it, and now we all have a considerable amount of money in a savings account somewhere." I was a bit surprised. Royal Moroi men often left the Dhampir women after knocking them up. I was surprised that he not only visited, but gave them money and supported them all.

"Wow. He must have been a great man." Dimitri smiled.

"He was." A thought suddenly struck me.

"Hey, you're not spending your inheritance on me are you? You should save it for your future!" He would regret it later on.

"Roza, I'm spending my wages on this holiday. And besides, most of it's been paid for already." He smiled, squeezing my hand. "And it's our future." I swooned again.

The waiter came over then, and we ordered our starters. We made small talk through the started and the main course, mainly talking about our plans when we got back to Baia and court. A visit to Oksana and Mark was definitely in store, and I wanted to see more of the town. When we got back to America, we needed to buy cars, and there was still some stuff that needed doing round the apartment. He also wanted to take me on a weekend away before I went to Leigh, and I had no qualm with that. No qualm at all. We avoided talking about what would undoubtedly take up most of our time when we got back, and that was Tasha's trial. We would both need to testify, and there was a big chance that we could be facing a prison sentence, him for aiding a fugitive, me for escaping from prison in the first place.

He started to go quiet towards the end of the main course, and when the waiter cleared our plates away he looked scared for some reason. He was focused on the table cloth, and I looked at him until he met my gaze. "Sorry, I'm a bit preoccupied." I frowned.

"What's wrong?" He smiled.

"Nothings wrong." I rolled my eyes.

"Then what are you preoccupied about?" He grinned and tapped his nose. I sighed and threw myself into looking at the pudding menu, pretending that I could understand it. Why didn't the posh places ever have pictures? It would make life a lot more easier.

"You can't understand any of it." I could hear the smile in his voice.

"I can." I pointed. "See, that word means cream. And that one means chocolate." He laughed at that.

"Those would be the words you know." He read out the options for me in English. We chose and lapsed back into a comfortable silence.

He suddenly cleared his throat. "Roza?" I looked up at him. "There was a reason why Babushka arranged for us to come to this restaurant tonight. She saw me doing this in the hotel room, and she couldn't have that." My breath caught. Doing what?

He reached into his pocket and when I saw what was in his hand, my heart stuttered and picked up pace double time. He wasn't, was he?

"Roza. You are the only woman I have ever loved. You complete me in every way, and you are the only one who I want to share the rest of my life with." I swallowed. I couldn't do this, not yet. "I love you, more than my own life, and one day, I will make you my wife. I know we're not ready for that yet, but I want to show you that I'm serious." He opened the ring box and nestled inside the blue velvet was a ring. It was a thin white gold band with tiny diamonds embedded all the way around. It was so simple, but so elegant. I loved it. "It's a promise ring. Would you wear it for me? It's worn on your left hand but it's not an engagement ring more like and engaged to be engaged ring but if you don't like it I can get a different one and if it's too fast it's ok I'd understand I just wanted to give you something that showed you how much you meant to me and I know I should have gone with a necklace or something but I saw this and thought you'd like it and could you please give me an answer so I can stop humiliating myself." He smiled crookedly at me, but I could tell just how nervous he was.

"Oh Dimitri." I had tears in my eyes, and my voice broke. "Of course I'll wear it."

"Really? You really mean it?" From the look on his face, you'd think I'd just told him I'd found a cure for cancer or something.

I smiled at him and nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Did he honestly think I'd say no?

The smile that spread across his face threatened to spilt it in half. He took the ring out of the box and slid it onto my ring finger. It was a perfect fit, and it just seemed so right to have it there. I admired the way it glittered on my hand, and made my fingers seem much more elongated and elegant than they really were.

"Do you like it?" I swallowed the lump in my throat. What did I do to deserve such a perfect man?

"I love it." My voice was all wobbly and I grinned through my tears.

He grinned right back at me, and leaned forward, capturing my lips with his. He put so much feeling behind that kiss I could feel just how much he loved me. I let the tears flow down my face, and I kissed him back with as much feeling and emotion I could. He pulled back slightly and rested his forehead against mine. He cupped my face in his hands and wiped away my tears with his thumbs.

"I love you." I whispered, not trusting myself to speak much louder.

"I love you too." He whispered, pressing a kiss on my lips before pulling back.

I wiped my eyes, making sure I had no make-up lines. I looked back down at my left hand, and I felt Dimitri slip his hand into my right. I squeezed it and looked into his deep brown eyes.

"Do you really like it? I wasn't sure if you wanted a yellow gold one, or if you wanted different stones, but I saw this and I thought, you know, it suited you." A slight blush spread across his cheeks, but I thought he was amazing for choosing it out by himself. I know that most guys just asked the shop assistant to pick one out. I loved it even more because he chose it himself.

"It's prefect. I love it really." I kissed his cheek and he squeezed my hand back. "When did you get it?" How long had he been carrying it around with him?

"I bought it last week. I'd been thinking about getting you one for a while. I was planning to get it when we got back home, but I saw it and I knew it was time."

We finished desert with permanent smiles on our faces, our knees touching and out foots entwined. It was such a small thing, but what it signified meant everything to us. If I wasn't looking at Dimitri I was admiring the ring.

We left the restaurant hand in hand. I had totally forgotten about the rest of the evening, still caught up with the amazing surprise of the promise ring. I started towards the taxi station down the road, but he pulled me in the other direction.

"We can walk to the next, uh, part of the evening." I looked up at him confused and he smiled. "Your surprise?"

"I thought the ring was my surprise?"

"It was. But I'm not finished with you yet. Come on, it's this way." He lead me down the street, refusing to tell me where he was taking me, no matter how much I pleaded.

"Please Roza, let me spoil you this once." He gazed right into my eyes, and I could feel my resolve – and self control – slipping away. "You'll like it, trust me."

"Of course I trust you, but I would just like to know where we're going." I mumbled, felling bad for trying to spoil his surprise.

"I know baby." He laughed, dropping a kiss onto my head. "I just want to surprise you." He spoke into my hair, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine.

"But I don't like surprises." I grumbled, not really meaning it.

He laughed again. "You'll like this one." He led me down the street and stopped in front of the Mariinsky Opera and Ballet Theatre. Once again I stood outside the establishment, gaping at the wonders in front of me.

"You said you always wanted to go to the ballet. So, here you are." I was amazed he'd remembered. It was months ago, even before Victor and the lust charm. We'd been walking back into the locker room from running laps, and he'd been telling me about Russia. He'd said he went to the ballet with sisters when they were little, and I'd said I'd always wanted to go. He joked that when we were Lissa's guardians we could persuade her to go. Of course, we would have to go along too.

"I can't believe you remembered." He kissed my temple.

"Of course I remember." He lead me into the foyer, and gave our tickets to the people at the doors, and the Usher showed us to our seats. We were on the balcony, and had an amazing view over the stage. All the posters outside were in Russian and so were the tickets, so I had no idea what we were actually seeing.

"Do you really want to know? Or do you wanna try and guess?" That glint in his eye made a slow smile spread across my face.

"How much is it worth?" I liked the idea of where this was going.

"Slave for a day?" I laughed, surprised that Dimitri, such a serious and mature man would bet on something as childish as 'slave for a day'. Although, to be honest, I wasn't complaining. Lissa and I used to bet 'slave for a day' until very recently; 'the queen can't be someone's slave' apparently. Lies. She just knew I would win, whatever the bet was. And I had a feeling that Dimitri being my slave for a day would have much more interesting consequences than Lissa.

"Done." We shook on it, neither one of us really minding who was who's slave – it would end up with the same result anyway.

The lights dimmed and I sat back in my seat. Dimitri took my hand and kissed it, before resting out entwined hands on the seat rest between us. I squeezed his hand, letting him know just how much this night meant to me. It literally couldn't get any better than this.

The opening music started, and I was trapped. I was never the ones to like classical music or anything like that, but I had a weak spot when it came to the ballet. I just loved watching those dancers move so gracefully around the stage, telling their story through movement, rather than words. It was magic. I was enthralled from the opening notes, and didn't take my eyes off the stage for the whole of the first half. As the curtains went down, Dimitri pulled me up and led me out to get a drink.

"So, what do you think?" He grinned, handing me a glass, already knowing the answer.

"It's amazing! Did you see that woman in the purple leotard? She was fantastic! I've never seen anyone dance as well as she could. It was phenomenal! I can't believed you bought us tickets!" I was practically jumping in excitement. "You really are the most perfect man ever." I leaned up and gave him a kiss that may have been a bit too passionate for public display. But as his arm snaked round my waist, I didn't care and gripped him tighter, wanting to show him just how grateful I was.

He laughed quietly when I pulled away. "If this is how happy it makes you, I might buy you things more often." I smiled and pressed a kiss on his lips.

"I love it because you put so much thought into it. I mentioned it over eight months ago. I can't believe you remembered." He gave me a teasing smile.

"So I could have gotten you anything?" I rolled my eyes.

"I would have been happy wherever you took me. But the fact that it's the ballet and possibly my all time favourite thing now, makes it even better." The five minute warning for the second half sounded. We started to make our way back, his arm still wrapped tightly round my waist.

"So I come second to a dance now, do I?" He teased again.

"Ok, it's my favourite dance then. You're always first." I kissed him soundly again before taking my seat. "Although, it is a tough decision."

He laughed loud at that, taking my hand again.

"Have you got any thoughts as to what it might be yet?" He whispered, leaning over so his breath tickled my ear.

"I have a few." In fact, I knew exactly what it was; I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to win this bet or not. While it would be fun to have Dimitri as a slave for a day, I was wondering what types of things he would make me do, if I had to do whatever he said. The possibilities made me shiver with excitement.

The lights dimmed again, saving me from thoughts that were likely to get me into trouble.

The remaining act was just as good as the first, my eyes following the dancers across the stage. I was hooked, knowing that I was going to return at the very next possible chance. Even though no words were spoken, my eyes still pricked when Juliet awoke to find her Romeo dead. I grasped Dimitri's hand that bit tighter, knowing that their story had so many similarities to ours. But as the ending notes sounded, and the applause went up, I knew that, while our story was filled with so much sorrow, that was our past. I had to stop dwelling on it and focus on our future together. What had happened made us stronger and built the bases of our relationship, but it was up to us to make the next chapter of our lives together happier.

"Did you like it?" He asked as we waited in line for our coats. I shook my head. "Love it?" A smile creped across his face, and my lips lifted in response. I nodded, breaking out into a full grin.

"It's the best surprise anyone has every given me." I placed a kiss on his lips. "And it's not even my birthday." I grinned, looking down at my beautiful ring.

"You deserve it." He mumbled as he pressed a kiss on my head, his arm pulling me close into his side. I rested my head against his shoulder.

"I love you." He didn't say anything back; he didn't need to. He just kissed the ring on my finger, a reminder of the promise he had promised to make.

Too soon our turn came, and we hurried outside to hail a taxi. Ever the gentleman, Dimitri opened the door for me before sliding in after. He told the driver the name of our hotel, and we were off. He wrapped one arm round my shoulder, pulling me close to him. The other held my hand in it, his thumbs making small circles on the back.

The closer we got to the hotel, the more shivers his thumb sent through my body. I couldn't wait to get back to the room, to show him just how much I enjoyed his surprise.

As soon as the taxi stopped, Dimitri was out, thrusting some notes through the drivers window and helping me out; he felt the urgency to be alone in our room, making the most of the night we had left, too.

He took my hand as we exited the lift, slowing down from the usual rush that we had when getting into our room. He didn't need words to tell me why; tonight, we were going to take it slow. Whilst it was great fucking like rabbits, I also needed just to make love to him. I kicked the door closed behind us and he pinned me to it, staring straight into my eyes.

**** M Rated Scene ****

The intensity sent shocks down to the pit of my stomach, giving me something I could only describe as butterflies. He bought his face closer to mine slowly, all the while maintaining the intense eye contact. He brushed his lips across mine, but pulled back when I tried to kiss his back. He brushed them over my jaw, down my neck and across my collarbone, sending more and more sparks though me as he went.

I was ashamed to admit, that I was so turned on I was panting at this point, and he hadn't really touched me yet. When his tongue darted out to trace the path that his lips had followed, I moaned quite loudly. The feeling of his hot, wet tongue, gliding over my already sensitive skin was incredible. I couldn't honestly describe or compare it to anything.

When his tongue traced my parted lips, I couldn't even summon the strength or control to kiss him back. I just let him glide his tongue all across my lips, before slipping it into the slight gap between them. As soon as his tongue found mine, it was like an electric shock jolted through me. I responded with just as mush passion he was putting in, moaning and writhing against his body.

His hands moved to grip hold of my face, his hips grinding into mine. It seems I was not the only one seriously turned on. I slid my hands under his jacket and fisted them into his shirt, grinding his hips even further into mine, desperately trying to get the friction we both needed.

With out mouths still very much attached, he started to move us towards the bed. I felt the end hit against my knee and he stopped pushing. His hands slid into my dress through the slit up my leg, pushing it aside so the whole of the front of my lower body was exposed, the offending material bunched up behind me.

"Your legs...so fucking sexy..." He slid his hands up and down my thighs, squeezing and scratching at my flesh. I groaned and leant my head back; he dug his nails in just right, the mix of pain and pleasure just right, his soothing hands stopping the sting before it got too painful.

With one hand still on my thigh, his thumb dangerously close to a place of no return, he used his other one to find the zip on the side of my dress. He took great pleasure in undoing it and freeing me from the material. He moved his hands away so the dress could fall to my feet.

His eyes turned black as he took in the sight in front of him. I was rather glad that I had chosen to bring my black lingerie set with me. The strapless bra pushed up my tits, making them look full and perky. The black panty sat was my favourite though. The lace covered the very tops of my ass cheeks, my panties stopping just high enough to emphasise my firm and toned bum. It was also set with a matching suspender belt, holding black garters up on the tops of my thighs. I felt sexy and seductive, and judging from the looks on Dimitri's face, I looked it too.

I swear, his mouth watered as he moved closer to me. I pushed my hands against his chest, slipping them back underneath his Tux jacket, sliding it off his shoulders and onto the floor. I untucked his shirt and took my time undoing the buttons, making sure to caress every new piece of exposed skin. I threw that to the floor too, and attached my mouth to his chest, licking and kissing every piece of skin I could reach.

He backed me up against the bed, sliding his hands down my arms to grab hold of my hips, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. He picked me up effortlessly, maintaining intense eye contact, and lowered me back onto the bed. My arms went automatically round his neck, knotting in the hair at the bottom of his neck. I pulled him down to me, fusing our mouths together. We kissed, slow, and languidly, taking our time, just revelling in the feeling of our mouths moving together.

He moved his mouth down to my neck, slowly working his lips up and down and one of his hands to curl around my thigh, trapping him closer to my body. I was panting embarrassingly loudly, but as he pulled my ear lobe into his mouth, I really couldn't care less. I felt his hand work its way up, trying to disconnect the suspenders. He was trying for a good few minutes before he sighed, "For God's sake.", moved away from my head and focused all his attention to my lingerie.

I giggled. "It took me ages to work out how to do it." I swatted his hands away and undid it. He smiled and returned to making out with my neck.

"It looks amazing," He growled, grazing his teeth over my collarbone. "But I want you to be completely naked when I make love to you." I moaned, trying to rub my legs together for the friction I desperately needed, before realising that his perfectly toned body was in the way.

He kissed his way down my chest, stopping to pull my nipple into his mouth through my bra. It never failed to make me moan, and I pulled on the roots of his hair. He hummed against my skin, sending the vibrations straight between my legs. He moved his hand that was around my waist up and undid my bra one handedly, freeing my skin and allowing me to feel his hot, wet tongue on my painfully hard nipple. I cried out, pulling again on his hair, and he smiled against my skin. He did the same with the other one before pressing wet kisses down my stomach, the feeling of his tongue lapping against my heated, over sensitive skin making my head spin.

He hooked his thumbs underneath the garters and deftly slid them off of my legs, biting down on my hip bone as he did. I jumped about a metre up in the air. His teeth provided just the right mix of pleasure and pain and I had to bite my lip to stop myself screaming out loud.

His hands spread my legs even more, giving him even more space to do what he wanted. Very slowly, he kissed the inside of my thighs, getting closer and closer to where I needed him the most. Instead of just pulling them out the way and putting my out of my oh-so-sweet torture, he kissed my through my black lace panties, the feeling of the rough material rubbing against my sensitive flesh making me groan and bite down again on my lip. He slid them down my thighs, kissing the path they took before following it back up with his tongue.

I shivered as he blew the hot trail it left, the contrasting of the hot and cold giving my goosebumps and making my nipples tighten even more. He placed one hand on my stomach, and traced two fingers all around the outside of my pussy before slipping them inside the folds. He groaned when he felt how wet I was for him, but he didn't stop tracing every part that he could reach. He left my clit for last, knowing that it was possibly the best way to make me come. That, and speaking in Russian.

The moan that escaped my lips surprised me – I sounded like I was one of those porn stars, looking into the camera as they moaned and panted loudly while bouncing on some poor dude who was given Viagra.

But as he touched me again, all thoughts of porn stars flying out of my head. He moved his mouth onto my clit, pulling it into his mouth and suckling on it greedily, as if he were a starving man, and it was the last piece of sustenance on earth. I let out another breathless moan, my legs shaking. He slipped his middle finger inside me, curling automatically to massage the spot inside of me. I gasped and writhed on the bed, loving the heat that it caused to spread right the way through me. He added another finger, also curling to flick and press against it.

"Oh, God." I panted, trying to move my hips upwards to get more friction. He pushed on my stomach, keeping me flat on the bed. "Dimitri," I groaned, trying to roll my hips, push his face closer into me, anything to bring closer the amazing orgasm I could feel building. "Please...Oh, yes, yes right there...ohmmmnmnmm..." My moans and groans of pleasure broke off into something unintelligible as his magic fingers continued to rub, curl, flick and press, just in the right spot, just where I needed them...

"Roza," He groaned, his voice rough and husky. "I want to try something." With his voice like that, and his hand where it was, how could I note reply,

"Anything." I panted, not wanting to come before he told me what he wanted. He pressed his fingers even harder into my G-spot and moved his mouth away from my bundle of nerves. "What-"

"Shh, just feel." He kissed my stomach, keeping his fingers where they were. He peppered kisses along my hip bone as his fingers worked even faster. My legs were shaking uncontrollably and a slow burn was making its way through the whole of my body. It wasn't the same as the regular climax burn, more intense, spreading all over my skin, like a fire but much, much more pleasurable.

He added a third finger and I whimpered. He twisted and curled his fingers, coaxing noises I'd never heard before out from my mouth. He moved his hand even faster, and I'm sure that if anyone were to walk in then they would have thought he was attacking me. I didn't complain one bit. He moved faster still, and I could feel my walls start to quiver. I whimpered and desperately tried to buck my hips into his hand.

He pressed a kiss just above my diaphragm and used his thumb to make little circles on my clit. I literally saw stars as the most intense orgasm I had ever experienced washed over me. I actually screamed as it shook through my whole body, turning me into a quivering mess. He continued to move his fingers in and out of me as I moaned and panted my way through it. I collapsed back onto the mattress, my body still shaking and twitching.

He dropped onto the bed beside me, lying flat on his back and throwing an arm around my shoulders. I just about managed to curl into his side, resting my hand against his stomach. But I moved it away when I felt something hot and sticky on his body.

"What's...Hang on, did you...?" He grinned proudly, looking very smug with himself.

"Nope. That was you." My mind was still in a cloud of orgasmic bliss, so I didn't get what he was saying.

"Huh?" My body was still shaking, and I could still feel my walls contracting.

"That was all you." It took me a while for my mind to catch up, but I eventually got it. I didn't even know that that was possible. I thought it was something porn stars did in videos, when they pretended by pissing themselves during sex – yeah, Lissa and I were curious, so what? Not that it measured up in anyway to the real thing.

"Oh. Oh!" He grinned down at me and captured my lips in a passionate kiss. "Um, thanks?" He laughed and rolled over, trapping me under his body.

"Mmmmm," He nuzzled into my neck. "No, thank _you_." I let out another shaky breath, knowing what that tone of voice meant. It sounded like pure sex, and I'm not ashamed to admit that it did things to me. I was still recovering from my amazing orgasm, but three words from that man and I was putty in his hands again.

He sucked on my neck as his fingers creped down and made sure I was ready. I jumped as he swept across my over sensitive flesh. I felt him smile against my skin and my skin heated once again.

Suddenly he thrust into me, stretching me and filling me in a delectable way. I hadn't even noticed when he got fully undressed, but as he started moving, I lost all ability to form coherent thoughts and just let the amazing feelings he caused in me take over.

"I love you." He breathed as he set a slow, but powerful pace. He gathered my body up in his arms, making sure there was no space at all between us. I wrapped my arms around his neck, tangling my fingers in his hair and bringing our mouths together.

"I love you too." This was filled with so much love and meaning, it made my heart swell and ache with intensity. The slow, drawn out, passionate strokes were a lot different than last night; that had mainly been lust. Of course, love was there – it always was – but this tender love making was different.

My legs wrapped round his waist and he shifted to accommodate me, matching my pace. I groaned at the new angle and released his lips, panting with the effort of not coming then and there.

He wrapped one of his arms around my back, pressing my chest into his, while the other went round my hips, giving him leverage to pick up the pace. I secured one arm around his neck and the other snaked around him back, making sure there was absolutely no space between us. He fused our mouths together as we picked up the pace.

He shifted his hips slightly and I moaned. His long, thick cock was pressing right into my favourite spot deep inside me, and I gave up trying to kiss him. He just stared deep into my eyes as we reached our peaks, and I stared right back. Looking into his eyes, I saw everything I ever needed, and more. We sped up again, the sounds of skin hitting skin, breathless moans and panting filling the room.

He pressed a kiss onto my mouth and dropped his forehead onto my chest. I could feel his hot breath on my skin as he silently cried out, coming with a huge force inside me. I followed soon after. I didn't scream or shout out, but it was just as powerful and more intense. My body shook and he continued to thrust in and out of me, both of us riding out our orgasms.

I moaned contently as he pulled out and tightened his grip on me.

*** End of M Scene ***

He kept his head on my chest, and I ran my fingers through his silky hair, pressing small kisses onto the top of his head. We usually fell asleep the other way round, with me cuddled into his chest, but it was nice to hold him for a change. I carefully rolled us over so we were on our side and he rearranged his arms around my waist.

I felt his eyelashes tickle my skin as he closed his eyes, and the rise and fall of his chest slowed as he fell asleep. I was close behind him, but fixed my eyes onto the beautiful ring on my left hand, where it would stay until another one would take its place. I grinned at that, Mrs Belikov. With that thought in my head, I fell asleep with a smile on my face – something that was becoming a habit. I loved it.

**Review :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you for all the reviews and the PM's, it makes my day reading all your comments and your ideas!**

**This chapter is quite short, but the next bit won't work without it.**

Small kisses being pressed up and down my neck and chest woke me up. I smiled and felt Dimitri smile in return. His lips worked their way along my jaw and across my cheek, before teasing the corner of my mouth with tiny kisses and licks. I turned my head slightly and captured his lips with mine, our kiss slow and lazy as we didn't need to rush, just loving the feeling of our mouths moving in sync.

***M scene***

He wrapped his arms around my waist and rubbed his rock hard cock against me, causing a shiver to run down my spine. I took his bottom lip in between my teeth and lapped at it, reviling in the taste that was pure Dimitri.

"Roza." He moaned against my lips, and I hooked one of my legs around his waist, hoping he would take the hint.

My eyes rolled back into my head as he slid his cock across my wetness, and I groaned when he thrusted gently into me. The feeling of him, hard inside of me, whispering my name in my ear, his hand sliding down to where we were joined, was just amazing. His thumb found my clit and moved in small circles, just how I liked, and I tightened my grip round his neck.

"Dimitri." I whispered. I don't know why we were whispering; there was no one around, but it felt like if one of us were to speak loudly, it would ruin the atmosphere.

He moved his mouth back to mine, and his tongue moved inside my mouth at the same speed he was thrusting into me. I groaned and clung tighter to him, digging my nails into his back. I lifted my leg higher and he shifted indie me, finding that spot he found so well. I pulled back slightly and rested my head against his, closing my eyes as I found my release. He joined me then, shooting his hot, wet load deep inside me. We both panted, trying to get our breathing back to normal, our breaths mingling and grinning at each other.

***End of M scene***

"Good Morning." He smiled, kissing me deeply.

"Mmmmmm, a very good morning." He chuckled and rolled us over, so my head and hand were resting on his chest. He folded his arms behind his head, and closed his eyes. "You know, you look way to smug for my liking." I joked, poking him in his stomach.

"I just had very hot morning sex with my beautiful girlfriend," He opened one eye and smirked. "There is lots to be smug about." I slapped his chest playfully and he rolled me over in a flash, covering my body with his. He dug his fingers into my side and I shrieked, trying to get away from his hands. He laughed along with me, pinched my side once more, and cuddled me into his chest.

_Knock knock. Knock knock._

Someone called out something in Russian, and Dimitri scowled. "Room service." He muttered, and started to climb off the bed to get the door.

"I'll go and have a shower then." I pressed a kiss to his mouth and sauntered over to the bathroom. I turned on the showed and stepped under the scalding hot spray, washing my hair and body in record time. I stepped out, and only then did I realise that all my clothes were in the main room, where someone was tidying our mess, and the towels were put by the door to be collected. I was not going out there naked.

I managed to find a hotel dressing gown and pulled it on, relieved that it covered everything. But still, I wasn't going to flash some stranger, so I dried my hair and brushed my teeth. Truth be told, patience wasn't my forte, and I was seriously bored, so I opened the door and poked my head out. Dimitri was sitting on the bed in his jeans, reading the paper. Not a bell boy in sight.

The muscles in his back rippled as he turned the page, and I shuddered. He wasn't even purposely doing anything, and I was already in danger of melting into a pile of goo. I climbed onto the bed and crawled towards him. I knew he could hear me, but he didn't turn around. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and sat back on my heels, pressing my face into his neck. He put the paper down and pulled my knees closer to him, so they were wrapped round his waist.

"What time do we have to leave?" I mumbled into his skin. He stroked his hand up and down my leg.

"We have to be out of here in half an hour, but we can spend the morning here if you want? The hotel can hold our bags, so we can come back here before we get a taxi back to Baia."

"Mmmmmm." I kissed up and down his neck. "Where are we going to go then?" He leaned back into me and I worked my way up his neck.

"Uhh, we could go...um, we can...mmm, that feels good...I was thinking..." His breaths were becoming more and more shaky.

"Sorry baby, I didn't quite get that. Where are we going?" I sucked his earlobe into my mouth and swirled my tongue, teasing him even more.

"Uhhmmmnmnnnnmmm..." He moaned, trying desperately to form a full sentence. I smiled and released him, pressing a kiss against his cheek. He let out a breathy sigh and managed to finish his sentence.

Untangling myself, I shimmied out of my robe and threw it at him, before bending down and opening the suitcase. His clothes were on top, so I threw them at him too, before hunting for mine. I dug them out and straightened up, bumping right into Dimitri's hard chest. He grabbed my hips and leaned down to growl in my ear;

"You are too sexy for words." His breath tickled my ear and I giggled, leaning into his embrace. His lips captured mine in a deep, searing kiss, but I had to pull away.

"We need to leave soon, we can't..." He brushed his lips along mine.

"I know." He whispered, kissing me passionately before letting me go and moving towards the bathroom. I got dressed and collected our belongings from around the bedroom. We'd only stayed for a few days, so there wasn't much, and I stood at the vast window, looking down at the beautiful city below me. Thinking about it, if I could live anywhere in the world, it would definitely be Russia. The landscapes were breathtaking, the atmosphere buzzing, and the people seemed nice enough. If I imagined our lives in about ten years time, we would have a house down the road to Olena and be raising our children, sending them to the local school, visiting Lissa in the holidays.

But that would never happen. My life, and Dimitri's life, would always belong to someone else. Even if we did have children when we were older, both of us would have to put Lissa and Christian's life in front of theirs. And that is a scary prospect.

I could see the attraction of running away from it all, joining dhampir communities and living a 'normal' life, without Moroi dictating our every move. But then again, I don't think I could do that to Lissa. And her joining us was out of the question; she was queen now, she would always live her life in the spotlight until she was old and decrepit, when she would retire to the monarch's island off the coast of Florida or something and live in luxury 'till the day she died. What my life would be like when I was older was still unknown, however. As a general rule, dhampirs didn't live that long. Our average life expectancy was 40, and to even reach that was an achievement. If, and that is a big if, I was still alive my the time Lissa retired, I suppose I could do whatever I wanted. I don't know if I'd have to join her on the island, or if I would still have to work.

I sighed and shook my head. Why did I always ponder big questions when I am looking out a window, or staring at the floor? Well, I suppose it was better than thinking about them just before I went to sleep, or when I should be focusing on other things.

I shook my head again and went to zip up the suitcase, pushing all pessimistic thoughts out of my mind.

We managed to make it out of the hotel on time – just – and they were more than happy to keep our bags for the remainder of the day. As we'd pretty much seen all the main attractions, we decided to just wonder around town and do some gift shopping. I loved the fact that even though there were popular brands and big department stores, there were also quaint little streets with trinket shops and such.

We managed to buy everyone a gift – I had to bargain with Dimitri to get Paul's and the girls', what kid can ever have too many toys? – and see more of the beautiful city before we had to head back. We even had time to visit some lingerie stores, something Dimitri was more than happy to oblige with. It was nice just walking around, enjoying the sunshine and the company of each other; I think we both knew that the time we could spend together was limited and wanted to enjoy it while it lasted.

It was well into the afternoon when we started to head back to get our luggage. It would take a few hours to get back to Baia, and we wanted to get back before dark. I was sad to leave St. Petersburg behind, but it was like our special place now, and I couldn't wait to return.

We sat in the car in a comfortable silence. We were still in a cloud of blissful euphoria after spending an amazing few days away just us, but it was nice to be heading back to see his family.

The sun was just setting over the scenic Baia backdrop as we pulled up in front of the Belikov house. Once again, Dimitri refused help with the bags, so I went on ahead and knocked on the door.

"Mama, Dimka and Rose are back!" Viktoria was once again the person to open the door, and she grinned at me. "Did you have fun? What did you get me? Did you go to-"

"Hello to you too." She pulled me into a hug and dragged me through the door, not even throwing a 'hello' to Dimitri.

"Hello Rose dear." Olena pulled me into a hug. "Did you enjoy yourself?" Before I had a chance to reply – and thank her profusely – Dimitri came through the door.

"Nice to know you still remember you have a son." Olena just rolled her eyes and told him to hush. "I'll take these bags upstairs and meet you in the living room." He dropped a kiss on my head before going up the stairs.

"Let's go and sit down, you can tell us all about it."

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A loud scream from my left made me jump 3 ft in the air, causing me to nearly drop the plate I was holding.

"Jesus, Viktoria! What's wrong?" I shook my head; she didn't half have a scream on her.

She grabbed my hand and yanked it towards her face.

"You two got married and you didn't tell us?" She twisted my arm this way and that, and it was actually quite painful.

"No, it's a promise ring. More like a promise to be engaged one day type thing." She squealed and nearly pulled my arm off jumping up and down.

"What's going on?" Olena poked her head round the door.

"Look what Dimka got Rose!" She pulled my hand to the door.

"You know, that hand is attached to my arm!" I was ignored.

"Oh my! It's beautiful! Did he pick this out himself?" Karolina joined Olena and Viktoria gushing over my ring, and the squealing was making my head spin.

"The amount of noise you're making whilst laying the table is a bit worrying." Dimitri came in from the living room, grinning. He pulled up short when he saw the bunch of women each pulling on my outstretched hand.

"It seems they approve of your taste comrade."

"It's beautiful! Oh my baby boy, all grown up! It seems only yesterday you were running around in your nappy chasing Lina and her friends." I laughed at Dimitri's blush. Olena's face suddenly changed, and she started towards Dimitri, her finger pointing at him. "Why am I only finding out about this now? You didn't tell me! I am your mother! I thought I'd raise you better than that! You're supposed to tell me before you do this, or at least tell me after! Honestly, I have a good mind to-" It was comical to see 6'7" Dimitri cower away from his 5'3" mother. Although, I would probably do the same if her wrath was focused on me.

"Mama, it was a surprise! I was going to tell you later, after unpacking, honest!" The look he gave her softened her features, and she stopped her accusatory gesture, instead patting him on the cheek. It was clear that look got him out of a lot when he was younger.

"My darling boy! I've seen you with all the wrong women and I've wanted you to be happy for so long! I'm so happy you've found the one." She wrapped her arm round my shoulder and pulled me closer to them. "She's the one Dimka, don't you dare let her go or you'll have me to answer to." She hugged us both and shuffled into the kitchen, muttering about weddings and beautiful grandchildren – I guess Yeva had spoken to her.

Dimitri wrapped his arms round my waist and mine went round his neck, like an impulse. "That went better than expected."

"Expected? So you knew she would flip?" I smiled and he leaned forward, touching my nose with his.

"I had a, uh, feeling..." He grinned and I couldn't help grinning back, meeting him halfway.

"Eugh, please. Haven't you two had enough suck-face time? Dude, just let my lay the table!" We broke apart he grinned at me.

"She's just jealous." And his lips were on mine again. I would never complain, so I kissed him back with just as much force.

"Jealous? Please, you're my brother. It's gross." He grinned and kissed me again before ruffling Viktoria's hair and leaving the room.

"Sometimes you two can be cute, but other times...eww!" I laughed, trying not to blush. "Oh well, you'll be a great sister-in-law." She nudged my shoulder and we continued to lay the table.

I smiled, re-counting the conversation with Olena and how she saw me. To say I was flattered was one thing, but to know you got the approval of your potential mother-in-law? It was a relief to say the least.

Then I remembered something that made me nearly drop the glass I was holding.

What did she mean, _all_ the wrong women?

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	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters are property of their respective owners. **

What did she mean, _all_ the wrong women?

I knew Dimitri'd had other girlfriends, I mean, I even knew one, but were there really that many? And how many had he introduced to his mother? He wasn't the type of guy to have meaningless fucks, but still, were they all that serious?

Knowing that his family had known all his old girlfriends made me feel very self conscious. What if Yeva had taken an immediate liking one? What if Olena saw one of them as another daughter? Were they still in contact? What if Viktoria was as close as she was with me, with some other woman? And they would be women, not some hot headed, bitchy teenage girl.

And he would have gone much further with his other partners than I had with mine. I mean, the furthest I'd gone before Dimitri was giving someone a hand job. He'd done everything.

"Earth to Rose?" I noticed the hand waving in front of my face and snapped out of it.

"Sorry, I was miles away." I tried to smile, but it felt wrong. I carried on laying the table, trying not to think about Dimitri with other women – a thought that made my chest clench.

"Are you girls still not done yet?" Olena called in from the kitchen.

"Nearly!"

"I'll give you a shout when dinner is ready." Viktoria set out the last of the glasses and we went back into the living room. You'd think that with so many people that it would be a squeeze? Well it was, but everyone had a seat; mine was on Dimitri's lap, the kids were on the floor and one of sisters had to sit on an armrest, but we managed.

Only this time, when I cuddled into Dimitri's lap, I couldn't help but wonder who else had done this with him? When he played with the ends of my hair, I wanted to know how may of his girlfriends had had long hair? Who was the one to start up his love of longer hair? Who's was the best hair, in his opinion?

I was being stupid and I knew it. Dimitri loved me, regardless of who had been before me. If anything I should be grateful for them making Dimitri the amazing lover he is today. I knew this, and I also knew that I'd had a lot of boyfriends – admittedly, they weren't as serious as Dimitri's, but still – and I would laugh if Dimitri was having these thoughts about them. After all, he was seven years older than me. When I was learning to write, he was probably playing kiss chase with all the girls. Then there were his looks. No one could look like that and be a virgin at 24. Hell, a virgin at 16! I pushed those thoughts out of my head. I did not want to imagine Dimitri sharing something as special as his first time with someone else.

But there was still that little, insecure part of me that said, what if he compared you? What if, in the throws of passion, he thought that his ex-girlfriend, I don't know, Sheila, was better at this that I was?

_This is Dimitri. He adores you. He would never do that._

But how do I know?

_Do you think about kissing Jesse, or one of the hundreds of boys you've kissed when you're kissing him?_

No, and it hasn't been hundreds. And what did you expect me to do? Remain totally chaste and innocent until he came along?

_Exactly! How could you ask that of him either? He is SEVEN years older than you, do you honestly expect him to remain celibate until he met you, at the age of 24?_

No, but-

_See? One rule for him and another for you. Trust him. He loves you. None of the others matter._

But what if one of them were better than me? What if they were more beautiful, or had longer legs, or had nicer hair? What if they did things that I had never dreamed of? I don't know, what if they looked better naked than me? What if-

_Has Dimitri ever complained? No. All you need to do is show him a bit of thigh and he's putty in your hands. He worships your body, and you know it._

But-

_Stop being insecure. He loves you. If he loved the others, where are they now?_

But-

_Stop._

I sighed. I knew I was being stupid, but I was still a teenage girl, and I still had insecurities.

"Are you okay?" He murmured in my ear. I paused for a moment, knowing he could tell when I was lying. I may not be all that thrilled of some other woman getting fresh with my man, but that was before me, and they're not doing it any more. I knew he loved me, and I knew that if any one of those women came up to him now, he wouldn't give them a second look.

"I'm great." And I was. Kind of.

He nodded, kissing my cheek.

"Dinner!"

We all filed into the long dining room, filling up the table completely. We made small talk, answering questions on the sights we saw and where we would like to go again. This lead to a discussion of other places we'd been to, and ones we'd like to visit.

"Corn Palace." I grinned at Dimitri when he said that.

"The what?" Sonya seemed disgusted.

"The Corn Palace, in South Dakota. It's a type of stadium." I had to admit, even with his little description, it did sound a bit weird.

"Ohh. Why would you want to go there?" To be fair, if it was me and someone else wanted to go there, I probably would've said the same thing.

"Private joke." She shrugged and moved on.

"We will go there one day, I promise." He whispered in my ear.

"As long as I get my 'Corn Palace' t-shirt, I'm happy." We both grinned.

"What about Paris? I've always wanted to go up the Eiffel Tower, and visit the Louvre, you know, all the monuments."

"I'd love to go to Paris! That, and Rome are on my bucket list." And they were, along with bungee jumping, buying my own car and reading all the Harry Potter books. Oh, and of course, Disneyland.

This discussion continued for hours, everyone wanting to say what they wanted to do before they died and why. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised that Dimitri wanted to go bareback horse-riding in the southern states, and get original copies of his top 10 westerns. Viktoria wanted to go to New York fashion week, Olena wanted to the Raindance Film Festival, and pretty much everyone wanted to go to Disneyland too. Olena called it a night when Sonya and Karolina started to speak about kama-sutra positions they wanted to have a go at, and we headed upstairs, tired and ready to crawl into a warm bed.

Dimitri was in bed before I was, just stripping down into his boxers. It took me at least ten minutes more than him, having to exfoliate, cleanse and tone, before moisturising, waiting for it to soak in, and brushing my teeth.

"You smell nice." He said when I finally climbed into bed.

"It's the moisturiser." I replied, cuddling into his side.

"Mmmm, you always smell nice." He kissed my neck, and I smiled, letting him pull me close.

I tried desperately not to let my thoughts from earlier to ruin this, but the tiny part of my brain kept telling me that someone must have been in this exact position with him, he would have kissed them on the neck too, and he probably told them they smelt nice. Who was the first woman to spend the night with him? I don't mean sex, I mean slept next to him while his arms curled around them, seen him smile faintly in his sleep, wake up with him, seeing his smiling face in the morning, all cuddly and warm.

I knew I was being stupid – I could say it until I was blue in the face – but that didn't stop me asking these questions. And this wasn't the first time. The night of Viktor's lust charm he was so sure of his actions, it was obvious that he'd had some experience. Our night in the cabin, he was so patient and gentle, proving he knew what to do, and how to do it. And ever since then, he was so loving, so caring, but the self-conscious part of me told me that he had probably said all this before. He may not have meant it as much as he does now – because I know he loves me, and I know that he will never look at another woman again, just like there are no other men for me – but he still had reasons to say them? Thought he felt like that before?

I shook my head, brining me back to the present.

"Hey," I looked up at Dimitri smiling. "Where did you go?" He tucked a stray bit of hair behind my ear.

"Just thinking." I kissed his cheek and smiled, but the smile felt forced a little when I realised that another woman's lips had been here before.

"What?" His fingers prodded my hips, and again, I wondered how many women he had done that to before.

"Huh?" I was slightly distracted, trying not to think about other things he'd done, how many 'special' things had he said and done that others had experienced before me, how many women he'd told he loved? How many women had slept in this bed before?

"I can tell you have no idea what I just said." I focused back on him again.

"Sorry, what?" Who was the first woman that found out that he liked the left side of the bed. Who was the...

"Rose." I looked at him properly then, blocking out my inner thoughts as best as possible. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking." About all your old girlfriends and comparing myself against them...

"Care to share?" He looked me right in the eye, and I knew he could tell that I was keeping something from him.

I sighed. "Who was she?"

"What?" He looked thoroughly confused.

"Who was your first, you know..." It was awkward just saying it.

He sighed. "You want to know who my first girlfriend was?" I gulped and nodded. "Is this what's been eating you for the past few hours?" I nodded again. "Roza," his hands slid down my back and pulled me closer. "tell me, please, what's the reason behind this? You've never thought of it before."

"It's just what your mom said downstairs." I buried my face into his chest to try and hide my embarrassment.

"Look at me Roza." He tilted my chin up. "What do you mean? What did she say?" I gulped again.

"She said she'd seen you with all the wrong women..." I felt more and more stupid as the conversation went on.

"Oh." He didn't say anything for a while. "What is it that's worrying you? Please, just tell me Roza." If I didn't know him so well, I'd have thought he was getting angry, but his use of my old nickname reassured me. This was Dimitri, I could just tell him.

I took a deep breath. "How many others have you introduced to your family? Were they all that serious? How many have slept where I am now? Who was your first time? Do you still think about them? Do you ever..." I trailed off, unsure whether or not I really wanted the answer to that question. His body stiffened against mine.

"Do I ever what?"

"Do you ever compare me to them?" It came out as a whisper. I could feel the anger roll off him in waves and hurried to justify myself. "I know you've been with other women, and I haven't ever been with anyone else, and I know I'm not very good, but I'm trying and I just thought maybe you wanted someone else or something else, and I wouldn't know, and the other women would, and-"

"Don't you ever say that again." I froze, a little bit scared of the hardness in his voice. Tears threatened to overspill so I kept quiet, knowing my voice would shake if I tried to talk. "You're it for me Rose, do you not understand that? How could I ever think about being with anyone else when I have the perfect woman right here? Have I ever given you any reason ever to doubt my feelings for you? What more can I do? Yes, I've slept with other women, but I thought you'd be better than this...this pettiness!" He moved away from me and sat up, throwing his legs on the floor and putting his face in his hands. I sat up too, fighting back more tears as I stared at his back.

It felt like hours, but must have only been a few minutes. He didn't turn around and the distance between us felt huge.

I couldn't stand the silence any more, so I slid out of bed and headed to the door. "I'm sorry." I whispered, my voice breaking as I slipped out the room.

The house was dark and silent, and I took my time sneaking past the bedrooms so I could go down stairs, making sure not to wake anyone. I went into the living room and closed the door silently behind me. Sitting down on the sofa, I pulled my legs towards my chin and hugged them, staring at the black TV, holding back the tears.

I don't know how long I was sitting there before the door opened and Dimitri walked in. I couldn't stand to see the anger on his face, so I kept my eyes trained forward. The sofa dipped slightly when he sat down, and he put his hand on my arm.

"Rose." The softness in his voice made me crumble. I turned and buried my face into his shoulder, sobbing quietly. His arms wrapped around me instantly and held me closer. He pulled back when I stopped and wiped the tears from my eyes, his big hands cupping my face.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry, I just-" I could feel myself start to panic again.

"Shh, don't be sorry. I should be the one apologising. I shouldn't have gotten mad. I asked you to tell me what was wrong. I thought I'd shown you how much I love you, but I guess I'm going to have to try harder." I could hear the despair in his voice.

"What? Of course I know how much you love me." It was my turn to cup his face. "It's just my insecurities playing on me. Don't you ever doubt me knowing how you feel." I pressed a gentle kiss to his lips and wrapped my arms round his neck, hugging him closer.

"Then why did you ask?" The question was slightly muffled as he spoke into my neck, but I still heard it.

"Because you're so much more experienced than me, and I'm just, not. Then I heard that, and I just..." I felt really stupid now. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise." He pulled back and captured my lips in a tender kiss. "Even if I'd slept with hundreds of women, none of the would ever hold a flame against you." I kissed him harder, pulling slightly on his hair. "God, you're amazing." He pulled my hips closer and the kiss picked up intensity.

* * M Scene * * *

He pulled me down against his erection and groaned.

"Oh God." I gasped as he moved his lips down my throat. I ground my hips against his, trying desperately to find some friction.

He wasted no time in pulling my camisole down until my breasts popped out over the top. I bit my lip to stop myself moaning as his licked and suckled on my nipples, my hips working furiously against his. He moved his hips up to join mine, the tip of his boxer-covered cock grazing against my swollen clit.

"I need you." I groaned. "Now."

His mouth released me and I stood up, removing one of my legs from my shorts before straddling him again, my wetness making a wet patch on his boxers.

"Fuck, I can feel you already." His head leant back against the back of the sofa and I freed his rock hard dick, gliding my thumb against his tip, spreading the pearly liquid there before pumping his length a few times.

"I need to be inside of you." He pulled me forward, capturing my lips in a searing kiss and he moved his tip against my sensitive clit. "So wet." He murmured before entering me in one ling stroke, our hip bones running against each other as I took him in, balls deep.

I groaned against his lips, pulling his hair, fusing his mouth closer to mine. He wrapped his arms around my torso and slowly pulled out before thrusting into me again.

I whimpered against his lips as he moaned against mine, our chests rubbing against each other as we set our pace, slow yet hard. His hip bone rubbed against my clit with every thrust, making me squeeze and both of us groan softly.

His thumb made his way down to were we were joined and rubbed me.

"I'm so close." I moaned, my hips moving faster against his.

"Come for me Roza, now." He moved his hips harder against mine, pushing his cock harder into me, this thumb still going.

I gasped and kissed him hard, trying not to make too much noise. He followed soon after me, his hot, pulsing cock dragging out my orgasm.

* * End of M Scene * * *

We were both breathing hard, our foreheads resting against each others.

"We just had make up sex." I panted.

"I know." He grinned, and I kissed him lightly.

"So hot." I groaned against his lips.

I think we might have gone for a repeat performance when we heard a creaking floorboard upstairs.

"What was that?" We both froze, before hurrying to get dressed before anyone came down.

He took my hand and we went back upstairs, making sure we were as quiet as possible. When we made it back to our room, he pushed me down onto the bed and covered my body with his.

"How could you ever think you weren't amazing in bed?" His eyes burned into mine as he leant down and kissed me, hard, before pulling away as if nothing had happened. "No one could ever compare to you, you have to know that." I nodded, leaning up and kissing him again.

Eventually, we snuggled back into bed, my head resting against his chest as his arms circled my body.

I heard his breathing even out and I'd thought he was falling asleep. "Do you really want to know about them?"

"Hm?"

"The...other women. Do you want to know about them?" I was quiet for a long time, thinking it over. Would it make me feel better, knowing about them? Or would my paranoia grow, comparing myself even more?

"Not all the details, but yeah, please?" I let out a long breath, not knowing what this was going to be like.

"My very first girlfriend was Evilina. We were both six. When I was seven, a girl named Suzanna kissed me on the cheek. I think I pushed her over." I poked him in the stomach.

"That's not what I meant." He chuckled and kissed my head.

"I know." He took a deep breath. "I lost my virginity to Nikita. She was my high school girlfriend and it was our last day of boarding school before we left to guard our Moroi. It was a kind of 'get it over and done with' type of thing, and I never saw her again. I think she's in Australia now. Ivan set me up with Rebecca, who I dated for a few months, but we decided just to be friends. She married a Moroi, last I heard. I dated Maria for nearly a year, and she came home with me over the summer, but she slept in the spare bedroom." I looked up at him. "Paul wasn't born yet, and Yeva didn't approve. Dawn was Lina's friend and I dated her when Ivan moved back over here for a bit, but it didn't work out. My family already knew her, but she never stayed here with me. I was dating Emily when Ivan died. I couldn't carry on, and of course, I moved away a few months later." He paused, and I thought he would continue, but he didn't say anything else.

"Is that it?" That was only five.

"Do you _want_ there to be more?" He looked at me strangely.

"No! I just thought there'd be, like, twenty." He laughed.

"So you think I'm a man whore?"

"Of course not." I paused. "So you've never had a one night stand?" He shook his head.

"I've always thought they were degrading and never really appealed to me."

"Oh." I could see where he was coming from. Not to mention it would be downright awkward just to wake up and leave, never to see that guy again.

"My family have only met four of my girlfriends. They already knew Dawn and when Ivan died, my mother came over to help me. Emily was still hanging around."

"Huh? You said four." He grinned.

"They've met you, haven't they?" I blushed as he laughed. "Has that satisfied your curiosity?" I nodded and he kissed me sweetly. "I love you. And you're the only one I've ever said that to." I smiled slightly.

"Right back at you Comrade."

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	14. Chapter 14

The remainder of the week passed in a blur of sightseeing, family meals and photo taking. Seeing the way Dimitri interacted with his family was touching, but I knew it was going to be hard to leave them. They couldn't all visit for a while, with the children in school and work commitments, and we didn't have any more leave until Christmas. We would email and speak on the phone, of course, but it wasn't the same as spending time with someone.

We all went out to dinner on our last night together. Everyone was talking and laughing, but there was an undercurrent of sadness. As the meal drew to a close, Olena got more and more teary, and kept a tight hold on Dimitri's hand throughout dessert. He tucked her under his arm on the way home, and she sniffled into his chest, muttering to him in Russian.

Once we were back home and the kids tucked up in bed, we all sat in the living room with a beer and just chatted. It was a nice and relaxed atmosphere, the perfect end to an amazing holiday. I wasn't looking forward to going back to reality and work.

It was well into the early hours of the morning when we called it a night. Glancing around the room, I made a mental list of what we still needed to pack. The stuff from our trip into St. Petersburg was still in the suitcase, but the rest of our things were still scattered all over the place. Our flight was in the afternoon, so we had time to pack in the morning, something I was grateful for; I was shattered.

Cuddled up in bed, I thought about what had changed in the past two weeks. We'd gotten closer, I think, and our relationship had changed. Before this trip, we'd been at it at least once everyday, usually more. We'd proven to ourselves that this relationship didn't need sex to work. That didn't mean we would abstain, just that it didn't hold our relationship together. We'd also committed to each other with the promise ring, physical proof of what was to come.

"What are you thinking about?" I looked up at him in confusion. "You look like you're concentrating really hard." I smiled.

"Just thinking about this trip." I hoped we would be able to return, I loved it here.

"I can't thank you enough for this." His voice was soft and sincere. "If you hadn't organised this, I don't think I would've ever found the courage to ring them up myself. You gave me my family back." He leant down and kissed me softly. "Thank you."

"So a good birthday present then?" I smiled up at him, and he rolled his eyes, failing to contain his grin.

"Very good present." He kissed me again before snuggling back down.

The next morning was spent rushing around, trying to pack everything before lunch. It was amazing how our clothing, toiletries and shoes seemed to be scattered all over the house.

We were all trying to keep the atmosphere upbeat and happy, but Olena's quiet sobs over the bacon dampened the mood some. And when it was time for us to leave, she held on to Dimitri, and I was pretty sure she wasn't going to let go.

"My baby boy. I'm going to miss you so much." She sobbed into his chest.

"Oh mama." He tightened his grip on her. "I promise to call you when we get home. And we'll see you at Christmas. You won't even know I'm gone."

"I worry about you. You're so far away, what if something happens? Just promise me you'll stay safe?"

"Of course. And nothing will happen, I promise." She nodded and sniffed, satisfied.

"And you, Roza" She pulled me into a bear hug. "I can never thank you enough for bringing my son back. And the same goes for you, promise me you'll stay safe?" I nodded, touched that she cared so much.

"I promise, Olena."

"Good." The rest of the family said their goodbyes, and after more hugs, Olena helped us get into the hire car.

"I love you Dimka." She sniffed, clinging onto him one more time.

"I love you too, mama." I could hear the tears in his voice.

We climbed in and she stepped back into Yeva's waiting arms, her hand covering her mouth, muffling her cries.

"Stay safe!" She called after us, waving until we couldn't see them any more.

The silence in the car that followed was heartbreaking. I could nearly feel how much Dimitri was hurting right now, and I felt terrible.

Reaching across, I clutched his hand that was resting on the gear stick and squeezed it. He looked over at me and smiled, before turning his attention back to the road. A few moments later, he squeezed back.

"Rose. Roza, wake up. We're here." I groaned and opened my eyes.

"What time is it?" My neck was really tense from sleeping at an awkward angle, and my eyes hurt from the bright lights.

"Eight." I groaned again and shifted in my seat.

"I'm so tired." He smiled and offered me his hand. I took it and he helped me stand up, collecting our hand luggage from the overhead lockers.

"Come on you, we need to get home." I shuffled through the airport, bleary eyed and crumpled from the long flight.

I caught some more shut eye in the cab home, and by the time we pulled up outside out apartment block, I felt slightly more rested.

Dimitri wrestled all the bags into the lift, ignoring my eye roll when he snatched my hand luggage from me and added it to the pile of cases he was holding.

If he was so adamant about carrying the cases by himself, he could unpack them too. I left him grumbling in the wardrobe and went to call Lissa.

"Hey! You're back! How was it?"

We chatted for nearly an hour about my trip. Half an hour in, I took pity on Dimitri and helped him put the stuff away, holding the phone between my shoulder and ear.

We'd had breakfast on the plane, and by the time noon came around, we realised we'd have to go shopping soon. Not really fancying the cheese and crackers I didn't remember buying that I found in the back of the cupboard, we decided to go out.

"Where do you want to go?"

Wondering around the food court, hand in hand with Dimitri, was kind of surreal. We'd been so used to hiding our feelings, it felt strange to do something as natural as holing hands in public.

"I don't know. Nothing too heavy, I'm not that hungry, just a sandwich or something?" He looked at me, amusement dancing in his eyes. "What?"

"I'd never thought I'd see the day. You, not hungry. Are you sure you're feeling okay?" I swatted his hand away from my forehead and gave him a big shove, nearly sending him into a bush.

"Shut up." He laughed, one of his full laughs that made my heart flutter and softened my frown.

"It's a reasonable observation. You do eat. A lot." He brushed himself down and reached for my hand again.

"It's not like you don't eat loads too. You eat more than me!"

"Yeah, but I'm about a foot taller." It was true. I just about reached his shoulder.

"True, but you eat like it's going out of fashion." You should see our food bill.

"So do you."

"So we're as bad as each other?" I couldn't help grinning up at him.

"Pretty much." He grinned back, and leaned down. I met him half way, my free hand going round his neck whilst his wrapped round my waist, pulling me closer.

Maybe the kiss was a bit full on for in the middle of a public place, but I really didn't care. Someone clearing their throat made us break apart.

"Adrian?" He looked awful. His clothes were rumpled, his hair dirty and his eyes bloodshot.

"Do you mind sucking face in front of me? It's killing my buzz." He took a swig of his hip flask, and inspected me. "Lissa said you've been on holiday."

I nodded, not sure of where this was going.

"You know I booked tickets for us to go away to Rome for a week? I was going to surprise you when you came out of hiding. But then I saw you and _him_. Why him, Rose? Am I not tall enough? Don't I have a sexy accent? Do I smoke too much!"

He was leaning towards me at this point, and the smell of hard liquor washed over me.

"You said you'd try, if I funded your little expedition. Was that the only reason you went out with me? Because of the money?" He snorted and took another swig. "I would call you a slut, but you didn't even put out. Do you know how many women I turned down? I thought 'no, I'll be faithful to Rose, and when she eventually sleeps with me, it'll be worth the wait' but you didn't do anything. Three months! Three months without a fuck. You were away for over half of that, and I didn't stray, not once. But you were away five days and you cheated."

I felt Dimitri stiffen beside me, but I squeezed his hand. Adrian needed to get this out.

"I was trying to be a better person, for _you_! And you threw it all back in my face." He turned to Dimitri. "You're welcome to her. But just remember, once a cheat, always a cheat." He threw one last dirty look at me before staggering off, gulping from his hip flask.

A stunned silence was left in his wake.

"I never knew he was hurting so much." I'd always thought that what Adrian felt for me was just infatuation, but seeing this made me question that.

"Come on, lets eat."

Well, that was one way to ruin our holiday high.

We sat down in the nearest café and placed our order. I was still shaken about what Adrian had said, and Dimitri took my hand.

"Don't blame yourself. Just, don't." How could I not?

"He was starting to cut back on all that, and now..." I'd never seen him so bad.

"I knew we should have spoken to Adrian before we-"

"No." I took his hand in both of mine. "I'll never regret that. I never should have started a relationship with him when I still loved you." I kissed his palm. "I just hate seeing him like this."

"I'm sure he'll get himself together soon, and he'll find someone."

"I hope so."

The food came then, and we switched the conversation to something more cheerful.

Work started the next day, so we spent the remainder of our free time just lounging around the house.

Lissa rang me that evening with the details of work the next day. I was going to sit down with her head guardian and talk through her schedule, learn her up and coming events. We would also be talking about her Lehigh application.

I sighed, knowing it was coming up, but not realising just how soon. Dimitri noticed my change in mood, but didn't ask.

"Shall we just order tonight? I'll do some shopping tomorrow." He asked, playing with a strand of my hair.

"Sure, I'll grab the menus." When we moved in I made sure we had a good selection of take away menus. What can I say? I like food. "What do you want?" I called out from the kitchen.

"I don't mind." Eugh, I hated when he did that.

"Thai?" I really fancied their crispy duck right now.

"Sure."

When the delivery man arrived an hour later, I was genuinely surprised at the amount of food we ordered. I was even more surprised when we ate it all.

"Eugh, I'm stuffed." I patted my little food baby. "I need to start working out more. I think I eat too much." Dimitri laughed.

"You've always eaten loads." He said, clearing away the food containers. "Can you imagine our food bill? I think I might start keeping count of how much we spend on food every year." He plonked down on the sofa next to me. I curled into his side, and he wrapped one arm round my shoulders. "See if you're still eating this much in ten years time." Ten years time. I grinned.

"You eat half of that food too. Don't put this all on me."

"I suppose our food bill will get longer. Especially if any of our children eat at the rate you do." My heart rate thudded and I couldn't help it; I launched myself at him, kissing him hard. I caught him off guard, but he recovered quickly, his hands going round my waist and pulling me closer.

When we broke apart we were both breathing hard. My fingers were still in his hair, and his hands were still gripping my waist tightly.

"What was that for?" He smiled softly and kissed me again.

"Do I have to have a reason to kiss you?" I bit down lightly on his bottom lip and smiled.

"Hell no. But was there?" I kissed him softly.

"Maybe." I kissed along his cheek, moving towards his jaw line.

"Do I have to pull every little bit of information out of you? Tell me already." He bit down on the side of my neck, making me jump.

"You said ten years time, and mentioned our children." I kissed him slowly on the mouth.

"And?" I felt him smile against my lips.

"That's so hot." I whispered, pulling him up by his collar. "Bed." It didn't take much more than that for him to pick me up and carry me into the bedroom.

***M Scene***

We frantically removed each others clothes, not caring where they landed as we flung them around the room. I was all for diving straight in, needing him desperately, but he slowed once I was down to my underwear.

He moved his lips slowly along my shoulder and down the middle of my chest, tracing his tongue around the lace of my bra. My panting got louder, and I bucked my hips, desperate for some friction. I felt him smile against me as his mouth moved lower, capturing my hardening nipple in his mouth.

"Mmmughuugh" The feeling of his wet tongue, combined with the roughness of the lace rendered me speechless.

He switched to the other one, and his hand slid around my back to undo the clasp. Finally, I was naked. My skin was pressed against his, the ever present charge between us magnified.

I pulled his face back up to mine and attacked his mouth, quickening the pace. I loved going slow and taking our time, but tonight I needed it hard and fast. He got the message, and shifted to align our hips.

I groaned against his mouth as his suddenly thrust into me, filling me in one push, before pulling almost all the way out, before doing it again. My head fell back on the pillow as he continued to fill me completely, my nails digging into his back. His mouth found my neck, kissing up and down while his pace never faltered.

"Dimi...Dimitri" I moaned, not being able to complete the sentence.

"Tell me what you want, Roza." His mouth was right near my ear, his husky whisper seeming to echo through my head.

"Faster!" I managed to gasp out. He picked up the pace and my breath caught in my throat.

We didn't last long, with him pounding into me, hitting that spot every time, and me gripping onto his back, my teeth scraping along his shoulder. We finished together, both crying out as I clenched around him, and him spilling into me.

A thin layer of sweat covered us, both of us gasping for breath.

***End of M Scene*

He cuddled me close, wrapping me up in his warmth.

After a few minutes, he asked "Burnt off all that food yet?"

I grinned. "Well, I did eat a lot..." He grinned along with me and moved his face down towards mine.

Needless to say, by the end of the night, we had both burnt off the mountain of food we had consumed hours before.


	15. Chapter 15

"Morning Liss." I called, as I entered her apartment. I found her in the kitchen, looking too cheerful for a Monday morning.

"Morning"

I helped myself to a cookie from her cupboard and sat down at the breakfast bar. "What's the plan for today?"

She threw a piece of paper at me, gulping down her coffee before answering. "It's mainly meetings and finalising arrangements. We're meeting with head of Court security this afternoon to go over shift changes while I'm still here, and what happens when I leave Court. There's also a guy from Lehigh coming in to speak about procedures when we're there." She took another big swig of coffee before looking at me apprehensively. "These also came last week."

She handed me two letters, one addressed to me the other Dimitri. I'd asked her to collect our post, but wondered why these weren't included on the pile waiting for us.

"Don't open it now. Wait until these meetings have finished."

"Why?" I turned my letter over in my hands. It looked all official, but had no return address on the back.

"Trust me on this one." I sighed and put them into my pocket.

"You're the boss."

I got up to get another cookie when I heard a shuffling and an unearthly groaning. I turned towards the noise, trying and failing to suppress my smile.

"Morning gorgeous." Christian just groaned in my direction and collapsed onto one of the chairs. "Rough night?"

"He's not a morning person." Lissa smiled and kissed his cheek. Christian just groaned again and slumped further down onto the table.

"I'll say. He looks like the walking dead." He didn't raise his head from the table, but flipped me the bird anyway.

Just then I heard the door open and was greeted by a 6'7" Russian in full Guardian attire. "Morning Your Majesty. Lord Ozera." Christian muttered a sort-of greeting while Lissa beamed.

"Hey Dimitri."She'd finally dropped the 'Guardian Belikov'.

"I thought you weren't starting until later?" I was confused - I'd left him in bed this morning, cocooned in most of the covers.

"Christian wanted to go off site. Got the memo in ten minutes ago." I nodded.

"Why else do you think I'd ever be up this early?" His head was still resting on his arms, but I could make out what he was saying.

"To see my beautiful face of course." He snorted.

"Rose, I'm nearly ready. Will you call Rob and let him know?" Rob was Lissa's doorman. Any one wanting to come in or out of the building had to give him notice, and if Lissa was leaving he'd have to call the nearest Court Guardians and let them know.

"Sure." I whipped out my Guardian issue phone and made the call.

"See you later hot stuff." I said as I ruffled Christian's hair. "Bye." I pressed a kiss to Dimitri's lips as I headed towards the door.

"Bye. I'll get some shopping in after work. Any requests?" I shrugged.

"Just get whatever." He nodded, and Lissa ushered me out of her suite.

The morning was spent in Council meetings, setting up the protocol when Lissa lived on campus at Lehigh. Jill had been sent away, which was something I felt conflicted about. On one hand it was safer for her until the quorum was revoked, but on the other hand I'd much rather she was here under the watch off all the Guardians. She was still only 15 and I was worried about her. It also sucked that I wouldn't see her for God knows how long.

Lunch couldn't come fast enough, and I slumped into Lissa's office chair and devoured the plate of food in front of me. "You know, only the Queen is supposed to sit there." I shrugged.

"Maybe the Queen should move faster then." I'd made a beeline for the comfiest chair – my feet were killing me.

A soft knock on the door made me sit up, alert. There were four lines of security people had to go through to get to Lissa's office door, and even then there were two Guardians stationed outside at all times. I was still alert though, I mean, who would want to speak to her during the lunch break?

"Relax Rose, it's the feeder." She let them in and I relaxed a fraction. It still made me feel weird, watching her feed from someone else.

Finally, we made our way into a side conference room. Sitting round the table were Hans, Alberta, and other Court officials, most of whom I recognised. I sat down at the head of the table, glad I was finally taking a lead role.

I laid out my proposal for Guardian protocol and formations, with Lissa chipping in here and there. Over the past few weeks she'd been reading up on official protocols and the role of Royal Guardians. She was following the example of Tatiana, as after 40 years of reign, there had been no serious breeches of security. You know, until she was murdered in her sleep. We were working on making sure that didn't happen again.

It was gone four when the meeting finished, and we had a few minutes until the Lehigh representative arrived.

"Rose?" I looked up. "I was just wondering, about College...you don't mind, do you?"

"About what?" While I wasn't happy about being taken away from Court and Dimitri, I knew we would see each other often, and it was important to Lissa. They came first, after all.

"My major." She's taken a lot of AP Classes at St. Vladimir's, and she only had to take the writing elective to complete her required courses. Once she declared her major, she would be able to finish her degree in under the usual four years.

"Would I have picked it? Hell no. Politics and Government are not my cup of tea, at all. But I know it's important to you, and we'll take some biology electives, right?" She nodded. "Then I'm okay." I didn't really need to pass anyway, I just had to accompany her to her lessons.

"I know, but I still feel bad. I mean, if you could do your own separate course I would be happy." But that would mean leaving her for extended periods of time. And that was not acceptable.

"Don't sweat it Liss. It's your degree, I wouldn't go to college if I had the opportunity. I only get the chance because of you." I shrugged. "So what if it's taking boring old Politics." I winked and she laughed.

"Well you'd better start liking it. You'll be living and breathing it for the next few years."

Just then an old Moroi came in. Lehigh was the closest College to Court, so most of the Moroi who went to College went there. It didn't take too long, and we were finished much earlier that I'd thought.

I escorted Lissa back to her suite and headed home. I'd been pretty stationary throughout the day, and thought I'd better head to the gym for an hour, just to get some pent up energy out.

I stripped off my uniform and pulled on some running trousers and a gym top. I sat on the bed to pull on my trainers when a rustling caught my attention. I stood up, noticing I'd sat on my blazer. Perching back on the bed I rooted through my pockets and pulled out the letters Lissa had given me. I'd completely forgotten about them.

I tore mine open and felt the stiff, official paper under my fingers. Unfolding it, I read the words that made my blood run cold.

_Royal Moroi Court in the United States of America_

_Courts Summons_

_Her Majesty's Court Service_

_vs_

_Natasha Ozera_

_Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway. _

_You are required to testify in the HMCS v Ozera case of high treason. _

_Please find enclosed the details of the upcoming trial._

The rest of the page became a blur as I relived the moment Tasha had shot me. I slumped down off of the bed and onto the floor, leaning against the bed frame, the letter clutched in my hand.

And that's where Dimitri found me.

"Roza?" I heard the keys in the door and the sound of bags placed on the table. His shadow in the doorway made me look up. "Roza! What's wrong?" He rushed to my side, crouching down.

He saw the piece of paper in my hand and extracted it from my grasp. He muttered something in Russian and slumped down next to me. He picked his up from where I'd dropped it, and opened it slowly.

His was identical to mine, and he merely glanced over it before dropping the papers and pulled me close.

"It's okay. She can't hurt us any more." I sniffled and moved closer to him.

"I just didn't realise it would be so soon." I thought we'd have at least another few months, but the trial began in a matter of weeks. "What should we do?"

"I'll give Abe a call tomorrow. See if we need to get a lawyer or anything." I looked up at him, confused. "We did break out of prison and go on the run, Roza. Even though you've been cleared of all charges, they won't let it slide. And they'll go deeper into her motives. They'll probably bring up what happened in the Academy. We should see if we need to, you know, get legal help." I wrapped my arms around his neck and moved even closer, horrified at the thought of anything happening to him.

"It won't come to that." I whispered, my voice husky from unshed tears. "I won't let it."

He pressed a kiss to my neck. "I know Roza. It's just a precaution." I nodded, but didn't make any attempt to move. He kept us like that for a few moments, before shuffling underneath me. "Come on. We need to put that shopping away. The ice cream will melt." I smiled slightly.

"You know me so well. Ruined ice cream to pull me out of a funk." He chuckled quietly.

"That I do." He got up and reached down to me. "Come on, love." I let him pull me up and kissed him gently.

"I love you." He smiled and kept hold of my hand as we went into the kitchen.

While our mood improved, dinner was still quite subdued. I couldn't get the thought of Tasha getting away with murder – literally – and then coming after us again. I knew Dimitri was a big, tough guardian, and the best out there, but round-house kicks and punches could do nothing against a bullet.

While my scar was healing nicely and was painless, I was all the more aware of it that night, remembering the doctors words. Only a few more centimetres to the left...

It was only when we were curled up on the sofa in front of the TV that our mood improved. For once it was Dimitri who was lying across me, his head in my lap and one hand in his hair.

"I've never understood these programmes. Why is there fake laughter? Do they think we don't know when to laugh?" I rolled my eyes. This was not the first time he'd said this. "I mean honestly, if it were funny enough, surely we'd laugh anyway! Why put fake laughter when..."

"Yes alright." I pulled slightly on the ends of a strand of hair. "You still laugh though."

"Well it's funny. Just don't like the laughter is all..." He trailed off, linking his fingers with my free hand.

After a few hours I could feel myself getting sleepy. "Come on you." Dimitri lifted his head at my yawn. "Bed." He took my hand and pulled me along.

"I don't know why I'm so tired." I said, a yawn cutting me off.

"You were up early. We've been waking up mid-morning the earliest." I plonked down on the bed and slowly began to undress, my limbs heavy with fatigue.

Dimitri, mean while, had stripped down to his boxers already and helped my out of my shirt. I kicked off my trousers and collapsed backwards, shimmy-ing so my head was on the pillow.

Strong arms surrounded me, pulling me under the covers and into his embrace.

"Goodnight my love." I felt a series of kisses placed on my neck and I smiled drowsily.

"I love you." I wasn't sure if he understood me, but by the time I finished my sentence I was out for the count


	16. Chapter 16

"Good morning kids." I looked up from my eggs and saw my father waltzing into the kitchen.

"You know when you said you'd speak to Abe, I thought you'd meant at a reasonable hour." I grumbled.

"It's nice to see you too Rose." Dimitri followed behind him, sitting back down next to me and returning to his breakfast.

"I was told you wanted legal advice. I'm not surprised you came to me, last time worked out so well."

"Well, we don't have many alternatives right now." I took a sip of my orange juice. "We have committed more crimes that you probably realise." That got a reaction. It turns out Dimitri wasn't the only one who could raise one eyebrow. A trait I sadly didn't inherit.

"Go on." I'd started compiling a list earlier this morning, but I'd stopped after writing down how I'd helped Viktor escape. I finished writing them down as Dimitri handed over his list.

"There's one I'd expect on here." He looked up at Dimitri. "How old was Rose when you first..." He looked down, avoiding Abe's eyes while I looked up furiously.

"That has nothing to do with you." He shrugged apologetically.

"Trust me, I don't want to know. But anything that can come back and bit you, so to speak, needs to be revealed now." I looked unimpressed. "Hey, I'm not going to play the outraged father card, don't worry. I have no right to be outraged, goodness knows what shenanigans I've got up to during my time..."

"Oh ew! No, we are not having this conversation." I looked at Dimitri who was trying to keep a blank face. "You don't have to tell him anything."

"He needs to know everything Roza, and I'm not embarrassed or ashamed about the beginning of this relationship. I'm just...I don't want to see you getting hurt." He looked up at Abe. "Rose was 17 when we were first intimate. She was a week away from her 18th birthday, but the point remains the same."

Abe nodded. "It is very unlikely that any of this will come up in court. But I'll consult with my legal team about statements and what not. You two have nothing to worry about." He dropped a kiss on top of my head and nodded to Dimitri. "I'll be in touch."

And just as quickly as he'd arrived, he left.

"I hate that we have to ask him for help." I sighed. "I'm sure he'll hold it over our heads at some point."

"You need to give him more credit." I looked up at him, surprised.

"You're the last person I'd ever think of who would stand up for my gangster-father."

"You should have heard him on the phone. He was very worried of anything coming back to you – us. And he's willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn't happen." I nodded, chewing on my last piece of bacon.

"True." I stood up "One perk of having a mafia father I suppose." I kissed him on the mouth, grabbing my blazer that was hanging on the back of the chair. "I'm late. I'll see you later."

He pulled my arm and sun me around. "That was not a goodbye kiss."

"No?" I smiled, resting my forehead against his. He shook his head.

"No." He lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me with so much intensity and love that I moved closer to him, wrapping my arms around his waist. He pulled away first. "But that was." I pecked him on the lips a few times before untangling myself and straightening my shirt.

"I'll remember that for tomorrow." I grinned. "I'll be home by five." He nodded and kissed my cheek.

"Stay safe."

"You too."

"You're late." I rolled by eyes at Lissa, who was in the lobby and waiting for me.

"Sorry. Had an impromptu visit from Abe." I nodded to the four other guardians around her, knowing there were others who were out of sight.

"Yeah? What did he want?" I fell into step behind her, following her to the waiting car.

"Tasha's trial." She stiffened slightly. "Nothing to worry about. Just getting ready is all."

"You sure? I can get lawyers if you need them. Just say the word and I can get-"

"Don't worry Liss." I said, uncomfortable with the thought of anyone else knowing the true extent of my escapades. "Abe is sorting it." She nodded. "How's Christian handling it?" I knew this would be hard on him – Tasha had raised him after all.

"Not good. I think he likes to pretend it's not happening. But on the days he visits her, he closes himself off and nothing can shake him until he's good and ready."

"He's still visiting her then?"

"He hates it. He hates being searched, having guards listening in at all times, seeing her in such a state." I knew how he felt. Or rather, I'd been on the other side, and it wasn't pretty. "She's not handling it well." I saw her take a deep breath. I didn't need the bond to know when she wanted to tell me something serious.

"Go on. You know you can ask me anything."

"She's been asking to see Dimitri." My blood froze. What could she possibly want to speak to him about?

"Oh?" I wasn't sure what the right response was.

"She's been asking about the two of you. Quite a lot actually. Christian hasn't been saying anything, but I think one of the guards mentioned you went to Russia. That's when she started asking to see him." I swallowed heavily.

"Does he know?" I was positive he didn't, but I couldn't help but ask.

"Christian is going to tell him today." I helped her into the car and closed the door behind us. "He was going to do it yesterday, but we thought we'd wait until you'd read the court summons...One thing at a time, you know."

"Don't worry about it." She turned to the paperwork that was thrust into her hands by her PA and I looked out the window. Today we were heading to an event in Philadelphia about using offensive magic. With Lissa being such a famous advocate, they pulled out all the stops to get her to attend.

As we left Court boundaries and drive through the surrounding countryside I thought more on what Tasha's request might mean. Would Dimitri want to go? I was pretty sure he wouldn't, but I had to admit, I was curious about what she wanted to say. And if he did refuse, would she try and communicate with him during the trial? Would she say something that could ruin us?

I thought on it the whole way there, relieved when we stopped and I had to switch into guardian mode. While it was a high-stress job, it was a good escape mechanism – you had all your attention focused on the task at hand, there was no room for personal angst.

The event ran without a hitch. Guardian's flanked Lissa where ever she went, and everyone was on high alert. It was a Moroi venue, so wards were not an issue.

All four conventional elements were represented, with Moroi skilled in offensive magic displaying their skills. I had to admit, magic was more useful than I'd originally thought.

It was disappointing not to see Spirit represented, but with so few users know about, it was hard to rally them on such short notice. Their powers didn't really manifest themselves physically anyway, so I'm not sure of what they could display.

As always, I followed Lissa round like a shadow. Some Moroi nodded politely to me, while most looked right through me. I was used to it – she was the Queen after all. She stood and made her speech, word perfect and without queue cards. She spoke with all the important people and knew how to work the room. It was fascinating watching her, but after hours and hours of the same thing, I was getting very bored.

I swapped with one of the far guardians and patrolled the exterior with the others. At least this gave me some fresh air and respite from all the polite chit-chat I had had to sit through.

I saw a flash in the distance and stopped my pacing immediately. It was like a flash light, and only there for a moment.

I gestured to the closest guardian, who stopped and waited for my signal.

"Did you see that?" I whispered.

"Yes. I thought it was a car or something." I didn't know his name, but I had seen him around Court before. While he wasn't an official royal guardian, driving with the Queen at night meant we needed all the men we could have.

"We're too far off the beaten track for that." We were miles away from anything to avoid human detection. You'd be surprised, so close to a major city, how well things could be hidden.

"Should we go and check it out?" While he was older than me, I was his superior in this situation. My orders.

"What's your name?"

"Phil." I nodded.

"Phil, do not take your eyes off that spot. I just need to check something." I stepped away and called on the venue's head guardian.

"Do we have any precautions for possible Strigoi attacks?" He laughed it off, claiming this venue was as safe as any, but stopped short when I asked again, my tone serious.

Within minutes the surrounding area was flooded with bright lights. It turns out they had extra-power flood lights mounted to the roof, and secured throughout the surrounding forest.

"Guardian Hathaway?" My earpiece buzzed into life. "The Queen is wondering what's going on."

"Code blue, possible red." With that, the royal entourage sparked into life. "I need six men with me. The rest, secure the premises. I want three more wards put up, each five feet further out from the rest. We can't afford to have an incident so recently after the coronation." It wouldn't set out the best example.

Within seconds I had the requested guardians, and more.

"Right, you two with me. The rest of you, search the forest." I looked to Phil. "How far away do you think it was?"

"I'm not sure, it was only a flash. I'd say about a mile?"

"Right, search with a 3 mile radius. Call if you see anything, and I mean anything."

We set off, moving quickly and making sure to note any tiny detail. 3 miles came and went, and nothing out of the ordinary was seen. The flood lights continued for another 2 miles, but I'd thought it best to call off the search. If anything was here, it was long gone.

"I'm calling it off. Return back to base, but check again on your way back."

A mile away from the main building I stopped. I could see where I was standing when I saw the flash. From here I could make out the red button on the uniform, and the black hair of the guardian – it stood out against the red brick of the wall behind him.

I looked around me again. Nothing. Why would someone watch from this side? The function room, where Lissa was, was on the other side of the building.

I hurried back to Lissa, anxious for leaving her for so long.

She was fine, but worried. "Suddenly we were being ushered away from the windows and the lights came on. Rose, what happened?"

"Nothing. Thought we saw a flash in the distance, but it turned out to be nothing." I glanced around. Most of the Moroi were leaving quickly, anxious to return home. "Let's head back to Court."

They kept the floodlights on until we reached the main road. I was grateful for whoever installed them – their beams carried on until the street lights of the nearest town.

I kept an eye out for the rest of the journey, only relaxing once we were safely inside Court boundaries.

Once Lissa had been dropped off I consulted with the other members of the guard who had been present. We went over events and possible investigatory routes, and everyone wrote a report of what happened.

It was gone 9 by the time I stumbled into the door.

"Roza?" Dimitri was in the living room and stuck his head out the door. "I've kept you some dinner. It's in the-oof." I walked towards him and fell against his body. His arms caught me and held me close. "Want to talk about it?" I shook my head. "I heard about what happened." I frowned, and I think he felt it against his chest. "Lissa called Christian when you went to investigate."

He kissed my forehead. "Go and have a shower, you'll feel better. I'll warm up your dinner."

I kissed his chest before shuffling off to the bathroom.

I stood under the hot spray of the shower for a few minutes, letting my muscles unwind. The thought of food made me kick into action, washing myself quickly.

Walking into the bedroom in my towel, I went to grab my nightwear before pulling one of Dimitri's tops on over my underwear. I think I just needed to be wrapped up in his scent.

I followed the smell of food, wolfing down the plate he had waiting before following him into the bedroom. I collapsed into his arms, and he pulled me close.

"Wanna talk about it yet?" I burrowed my face further into his neck.

"I'm just drained." I kissed his skin. "I'm sorry I wasn't home on time."

His fingers pushed the tshirt up around my waist and drew patterns on my back. "I don't mind. I was just worried about you." He kissed my head. "I'm glad you're okay."

"I missed you today." I leant my chin on his chest to look at him. "I was asked about strategies and how to lead, and I couldn't help but think of you."

"You managed just great on your own Roza." He kissed my mouth slowly. "You don't need me there."

"But I want you there." I sighed. "It always feels better when you're there. Like I'm less likely to screw up."

"Did you?" His free hand played with the ends of my damp hair.

"No. But-" He silenced me with a kiss. I met his intensity, and then some. I decided that the 'Tasha' conversation could wait until tomorrow.

***M Scene***

I straddled his waist and he sat up, bringing our chests together. I could feel him hardening already.

"Why did you feel the need to put underwear on?" He murmured, kissing up my neck.

"If you don't like it, take it off." I replied, already pulling off his top.

"Oh I intend to." He yanked my top off in one fluid movement, and quickly unhooked my bra. "You're so beautiful." He fused his mouth to mine, his thumbs heading straight to my nipples. Moaning against his mouth, I locked my fingers in his hair, making sure he didn't get away.

He moved his hands down my sides and began pulling my panties off, before his mouth made its way down my chest, attaching itself to my nipples, one after the other.

"Oh God." I ground my hips against his, before shifting up onto my knees to let him undress me. I got up off him, causing him to look up at me in shock.

It quickly faded when I slid down my underwear, before doing the same to his. "You had too many clothes on." I rejoined him, wrapping my arms around his shoulder with our chests touching.

His fingers went in between my legs, stroking and pumping until I was wet enough – it didn't take very long. My teeth pulled on his bottom lip when I felt him position himself at my entrance.

He pushed his hips upwards, filling me in one fluid motion. My head rolled back at the feeling, and he kissed up and down my throat.

We took it slow, him pushing his hips up and down, and me grinding back. We set the pace in no time, our bodies remembering the countless times before.

"Mmm God you feel so good." He groaned into my mouth, our tongues working together.

"Harder, Dimitri." He slid his hands round my hips and pushed me down with every upward thrust.

I could feel myself getting closer; he was so deep at this angle. He felt this and one hand moved round to the front of me, rubbing small circles on my clit.

"Fuck!" My head dropped onto his shoulder as he worked faster, rolling his fingers in time with his thrusts. "I'm close." I choked out, my words distorted by my heavy breathing.

"I can feel it Roza." His Russian accent sent shivers through my body. "Come for me." I groaned and shifted my hips faster. I was so close now.

"Mmm Dimitri." He bit down lightly on my neck, and I felt my insides clench.

"Come. I want to feel you come on me." I groaned loudly as I hit my peak, grinding my hips furiously against his. I shuddered to a halt when the last waves subsided, resting my head on his shoulder.

His hands trailed up my back, his lips kissing my shoulder. I could feel myself getting sleepy, but he was still hard inside of me, and I wasn't leaving him unsatisfied. After all, he always made sure I finished at least once when we were together. It was only fair I return the favour.

I slowly lifted myself off of him and made my way down his body. His dick was still standing proud, with my wetness giving it a slight sheen.

I licked all around the base before making my way up to the tip and sucking him in. I stopped when he reached the back of my throat, and hollowed out my cheeks before moving my mouth up and down.

"Mmm that feels so good Roza." His fingers wound themselves in my hair and I looked up. He had his eyes closed and his head leaning back slightly. He had a look of utter bliss on his face, and I sped up my movements, wanting to make sure he felt as good as I did, moments before.

I played with his balls with one hand, the other gripping onto his thigh so I could hold my balance.

"I'm close Roza, so close..." His hips ground upwards into my mouth, and I sucked even harder. He groaned loudly before stilling, his come filling my mouth.

I closed my eyes at the taste, loving it when he came in my mouth. I swallowed him down, cleaning every last drop off before working my way back up to his face.

He was panting hard, and I smiled, kissing along his jaw. "I love you." I bit down gently on his earlobe and he fell backwards onto the bed.

***End of M Scene***

When he'd recovered, he curled into me, pulling my body closer.

I settled down, resting my head on his muscular chest. He stroked my hair with one hand, the other played with my fingers.

"We should go out this weekend." I breathed his scent in, perfectly happy at that moment.

"Hm?"

"For dinner." He kissed me on my forehead. "I don't take you to dinner often enough."

"Comrade, I don't need you to buy me dinner. Just as long as I'm with you, we can eat Taco Bell for the rest of our lives." He chuckled, knowing I hated that place.

"I want to treat you. And besides, I love showing you off to everyone." I looked up at him, his grinning face looking back at me. "You are very beautiful after all." I kissed him deeply.

"I guess I'll have to stake my claim too, seeing as I know many women who can't wait to get their hands on you." He raised his eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? Who?"

"Why, want to elope with them or something?" He grinned,

"Depends who it is." I hit his chest and he chuckled, kissing me before closing his eyes again. "I'm serious. Where do you want to go?"

"Surprise me." I rested my head back onto his chest.

We laid like that for a while, the only sound being our breathing.

"Roza?"

"Mmm?" He took a deep breath.

"I was speaking to Christian earlier, and he...he mentioned Tasha."


	17. Chapter 17

"_He mentioned Tasha."_

I froze.

"Oh?"

"She...she's been asking to see me." He let out a deep breath. "I don't know what to do." That immediately put me on edge. Why would he even consider talking to the women who tried to kill me?!

"What are you thinking?" I tried to stay calm and let him explain himself, but you could hear the tension in my voice.

"I just want to see what she has to say. I think...On one hand I never want to see her again, she almost...she tried to..." He held me just that little bit closer. "But she was also my friend for years." He sighed. "I'm just curious about what she could possibly have to say? They said she's been showing no remorse, that she's flat out denying all charges. That doesn't sound like the Tasha I knew." He moved our fingers so they were linked, his other hand still in my hair. "I just don't know what to do."

"Do what you think is right Dimitri." I could see where he was coming from; if Lissa had suddenly tried to kill Dimitri, I'd think I'd want some answers. I couldn't hold it against him.

"And I don't want her to lash out in court, you know, say anything untoward just because I've been ignoring her. What do you think?"

"You...you have to do what's best for you. If you think you need closure, answers, then go for it. I'm not going to stop you." I paused. "That doesn't mean I'm going to go with you either." I don't think I could bare to see her all simpering around Dimitri again.

"I don't need closure, she means nothing to me any more." He sighed. "I just want to know what...why she would ever try to do such a..." He shuddered.

"Hey, it's okay." I kissed his chest. "I'm fine. You're fine. We're both okay." I knew how much my being shot affected him, but I still hated to see him so upset. He took a few deep breaths.

"I'm not going to go." I looked up at him, surprised.

"No? Why not?"

"I don't ever want to see her again. After what she put us both through, I can't believe she's the same women I met when I was 19. She is nothing like her." He shook his head. "I don't care about answers. As far as I'm concerned, she's delusional and dangerous." I frowned, unhappy that she'd even put us in this situation. "I'll tell Christian tomorrow. I can't look at the women who tried to hurt you. I just can't."

"Well, if you're sure." I was slightly relieved though. I didn't like the thought of Tasha any where near either of us.

"Sorry I brought it up." I smiled softly up at him.

"You can tell me anything you want Dimitri, and I won't ever mind." He smiled back at me.

"Time for sleep I think. We both have full days ahead of us." I kissed him softly before returning back to his chest.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" I waltzed into Lissa's apartment, stealing a piece of toast from the side.

"Why are you so happy this morning?" She was busy sorting out some papers on the side.

"No reason. Just happy." It might have had something to do with my shower this morning, and the very muscley Russian who joined me.

"Hmm. Well stop eating my breakfast." I grabbed another piece of toast from her plate.

"No time for food." I explained, my mouth full.

"Oh ew. Nice to see your manners have improved." I resisted the urge to retaliate, simply smiling and stealing a sip of her tea.

"So, what are we doing?" I hadn't had an official itinerary through, so it was one of Lissa's 'free days', if you could call them that.

"I need to go to the royal tailors. There are a few state banquets and such coming up, and I need to pick some dresses."

"Ooh, shopping Queen style." She rolled her eyes.

"We also get the mall to ourselves for a few hours." I perked up at that.

"Now that sounds better than sitting around and watching you being poked and prodded." She finished up and picked up her bag. "Hang on, we're going now? Its-"I checked my watch. "It's half past 8 in the morning! What's the hurry?"

"We're going dress fitting from 9 till 11, and then we hit the mall."

"Two hours? How many dresses are you buying!"

"They need all sorts of dresses and measurements. We might as well get all the dresses at least ordered now, so I don't have to keep going back." She yawned. "I hate it just as much as you do." I sighed and followed her out the door.

"And turn to the left please Your Majesty." I yawned again. This had been going on for an hour already. Turn this way, lift your arm up, breathe in, breathe out, legs straight, legs bent. Lissa complied willingly, showing her ever-present patience.

"Thank you Your Majesty. Now we'll bring out the sample dresses." The dressmaker tottered off, her apprentice or whatever following behind her with the clipboard.

"At last." I muttered.

"Rose." Damn she heard me. The small woman tottered back in, flanked by eight assistants, each holding multiple dress bags. I sat up straighter. Now we're talking.

The sheer amount of fabric these people had was astounding. They were mainly pastel or floral, and most made her look about 20 years older.

"Hold up, what's with all the old women clothes?" Lissa looked sharply at me.

"Rose!" I shrugged.

"What? You're 18 years, old, not mid-forties. Bring out some bolder colours! At least dress her her age." The kindly old lady turned on me.

"And you think that a Queen can show up to the state banquet, with monarchs and officials from all round the world dressed like a teenager on a night out? I mean honestly, she needs to look mature and regal. Not like a common tart." Woah where did that come from.

"I'm not saying change the styles of anything! I'm telling you to dress her like a hooker, just make it look a bit less frumpy and a bit more youthful." I got up to one of the dress rails. "Look at this one. Dark blue, classy but not old lady-ish. Or green, green looks good on Liss." I wondered around and grabbed a few dresses off the rail. One of her assistants, one not much older than us, came up and helped me.

"Not hot pink, that can never look classy. But this deep red, with the right material and cut, will look good." She was in her element, and I let her flitter through the rails.

"Jane! That will be enough. I am the head dressmaker, I make the decisions."

"Hang on a minute." Lissa's quite, but firm voice sounded out. "Let's have a look at what – Jane is it? - picked out. I like the look of that blue."

An hour later, and they had much more suitable samples for Lissa to try on. Of course, some of the pastels stayed, but we made another appointment in a weeks time to have a meeting with just Jane to go over dress designs. The nearest official engagement was a month away, so we had time.

Bossy-lady wasn't happy, but I kindly reminded her that the Queen could just employ Jane as an independent dressmaker, meaning they would lose all state business. That shut her up pretty quickly.

We made our way towards the Court Mall; not so much Abercrombie and Forever 21, more Gucci and Prada.

"Bloody hell Liss, I know you're made of money, but I'm still on a budget!" I looked at the shop displays enviously. What I wouldn't get to buy a few of those clothes.

"This is a free shopping trip." I rolled my eyes, not taking my eyes off a pair of Jimmy Choos.

"I'm not having you pay for me again." They really were perfect.

"This whole thing is free. The designers want the publicity of having me wear their clothes. I get free reign on anything. Including you." I looked up at her.

"Please tell me you're not kidding." She shook her head, grinning.

"Whenever you want a shopping trip, just give me a call." I flung myself at her. In my peripheral I saw a few guardians flinch towards me, but no one moved closer.

"You are literally the best friend ever." I looked at all the shops in front of me. "Let's go shopping!"

Four hours later, and I was still in heaven. While dresses were more Lissa's thing, I found myself swooning over the Vera Wang evening dresses and the Louboutins. I also picked some things up for Dimitri, but lets be honest, he wouldn't mind if it was a Gucci sweater or one from Target. Nevertheless, I threw a good number of sweaters, shirts, jeans, shoes and pretty much everything else I saw that I could imagine him in. I was going to get him a watch too, but left it. He had the one his mother bought him for his 18th Birthday, and that meant a lot more than a free Rolex.

We'd hit pretty much every shop, and had one left – the lingerie store.

"Oh my God Liss, who pays $200 for a bra." Although it was a beautiful bra. I threw it into my basket.

"Slow down Rose! You've nearly filled that basket." I shrugged.

"Everyone needs underwear." She gave me a knowing smile.

"Has the red lacy number I saw a few weeks ago survived?" I looked up at her.

"Possibly not." I blushed slightly.

"Once we're finished here we're going back to your place. We need some girl time." I grinned. It had been too long since we had hung out, just us two.

If I'm being honest, I was a lot more excited about the lingerie than some other stores. Lissa found it funny that I spent so long browsing through rails of panties, corsets, negligee and nighties. What can I say? I wanted to look good.

At last, we had finished. I swiped a few bottles of hard liqueur on the way out, earning me an evil grin.

"As long as you don't wonder round Court drunk, I figured it's okay." She just grinned again.

Her bags were dropped off at her building, before the car took us right up to the front of my building. Two guardians stayed outside my building, another three in the lobby, and four rode in the lift with us, another three walking the stairs.

Two entered my apartment first, searching the area before letting us in. I almost rolled my eyes at this, but she was the Queen. Two stayed outside my front door and the other two walked around the top few floors. Lissa took it all in her stride – it was general procedure for her.

We collapsed onto the sofa, my bags being dumped around us. I heaved myself up, getting fruit juice and glasses for our cocktails.

"Right, tequila time." I set out the shot glasses, the salt and the lemons, and we were away.

It took three shots to get Lissa tipsy. She went straight in for the big one.

"How is Dimitri in bed?" She was sipping on her Sex on the Beach, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"Woah Liss, at least lead up to it." I took another swig of coconut rum before adding some to my Pina Colada.

"Fine. What's the weirdest place you've ever done it?" I chewed on my straw, thinking it over.

"A plane?"

"Bloody hell, you've joined the mile-high club before me." I snorted, finishing off the dregs of my drink, before topping hers up.

"Your turn."

"In a church." I rolled my eyes.

"Attic doesn't count. Try again." She went a deep crimson.

"No, I mean in the church. The attic was locked so we did it behind the alter..." I gaped at that one.

"Liss! That's sacrilege!" She giggled.

"What have you done? Like, how far have you gone?" I looked at her.

"Ask me what I haven't done." That set her off, giggling away.

"You've done, you know, the big one then?" I took anther shot.

"You're gunna have to decode that for me." She blushed again.

"You know..." She shuffled in her seat, and I was still none the wiser. "You know, the big one..." She shifted again and smacked her own ass.

"What do you...No! Liss! No!" I gulped my drink. "Why, have you?"

"No, but I think I want to." I scrunched up my face.

"Please don't go into detail, I'm not drunk enough for this." She downed half her glass and shrugged.

"You've seen me at it, I don't care." I shuddered and gulped down more.

"Please don't remind me I've seen Christian naked."

"Next question. How big is he? You know, how big..." She waggled her eyebrows at me.

"Big." I couldn't help grin at that. Yep, I was a pretty happy women.

"Show me." She demanded, and I held up my hands, showing her. "Fucking hell! Your first time must have really hurt. And your second..." I shrugged.

"Sure it did, but it got better really quickly." I tried not to go red and took a swig.

"No. You did not, you know, finish, on your first time." I looked up at her, surprised.

"Sure. Twice." Man, he was good.

"Shut up." I nodded. "Man, I didn't." She gulped down more, and I was starting to get worried. She better not throw up on all my nice new clothes.

"Next question Rose, how often do you do it." I didn't even hesitate.

"Usually at least once a day. More often than not twice, or three times." She looked agape.

"Every day!"

"Well, not _everyday_." I thought back. "We stayed with his family for two weeks, and a few times since we got back...about 10 days since I woke up. Yeah, done it every day, apart from ten." I smiled smugly to myself.

"Fuck. I don't even know how that is possible. We're both so tired at the end of the day." I frowned. It was pretty easy really... "Today?" I looked sheepish.

"What do you class as one? How many times he finishes, or me?" If her mouth got any wider, I'd start to worry.

"You..." She lowered her voice. "You finish more than once?" I nodded.

"Sure, most of the time." She leant back, swigging straight from the bottle now.

"I'll leave that one until last. Right, classing it as him finishing."

"Today? Only once." So far. She let out a huge breath.

"No wonder you were so happy this morning." I grinned. "Right, what's your record?" I frowned, sipping my drink.

"In one night...Eight? Oh no wait, there was the window...Nine." That was a crazy night.

"What?! When!" She was a bit too interested for my liking.

"Our second night in St. Petersburg. He had chocolate body paint, and things just kind of went from there...What about you?" She looked grumpy now.

"Four. And it was our anniversary. I was quite impressed with that." She glugged more alcohol. "Do you ever fake?" My eyebrows rose.

"Why, do you? No, I, you know, at least once every time." She swigged again.

"Lucky bitch. I have a few times. Mainly with Aaron, but once with Christian."

And that's pretty much how the night wore on. We would compare notes, techniques, like and dislikes, and the more drunk we got the less we cared. By the time 9 o'clock rolled around, nothing was too personal.

The sound of the door opening was hidden by our giggling.

"Roza? Why is there...Oh. Hello Lissa. I guess that explains the guardians outside." He took in the scene. We were both wasted, and had started putting my lingerie on over the top of our clothes. I currently had four bras on and unknown number of panties, while Lissa had tried on some negligee, but her head was in the arm hole.

"Hey hot stuff!" I leaped up and stumbled over to him. He caught me and kept me upright.

"Have a good day then?" I nodded, pulling on his neck, trying to get him to kiss me. "Not now Roza." He glanced at Lissa, who was cackling away, clapping at us – God knows why.

"Oh, pretend I'm not here." She giggled to herself again.

"Yeah Dimitri, give us a little kiss." I leaned up to him, pursing my lips. He chuckled and gave me a chaste kiss on the lips.

"You, my love, are drunk." I nodded.

"Why aren't you?" He backed us up until my legs were against the sofa, and pushed me so I was sitting.

"I'll get you some water." As he was walking away, Lissa called out;

"You're right Rose, he is really tall. No wonder he has a massive c-" I lunged at her and covered her mouth, both of us giggling.

Dimitri came back with two glasses of water. "Here, both of you drink this." We took them and gulped them down, not really caring.

"I''d better go Rosie. Leave you alone with Mr Nine over there." I squeaked and blushed.

She swaggered over to the door, taking off my clothes as she went. Once she'd reached the door, the guardians took one look at her and lifted her into their arms – there was no way she'd make it to her apartment safely.

"Bye Liss!" I waved at her from the door as she was carried away.

"See you later Miss Every-Time woooo! Proud of you babe!" She slurred as the lift doors closed.

I turned around and saw Dimitri looking at me, very amused.

"Mr Nine, huh?" I grinned and lunged at him.

"Mmmm, she's just jealous." I fused my mouth with his as he hoiked me up and I locked my legs around his waist. He was walking towards the bedroom before I spluttered out, "Can we order Chinese?" He stopped and laughed, walking us towards the kitchen.

Still attached to him, he perched me on the work surface while he got out the menu and called the restaurant. I kissed my way up and down his neck, trying to distract him from the task at hand.

Finally, he hung up and he lunged for me again, kissing me furiously. "Sofa." I managed to mumble around his mouth, and he picked me up and walked towards the living room.

We broke for air when we heard a knock on the door, half an hour later. He fixed his rumpled shirt while I combed his hair with my fingers, probably making it more of a mess. He wore a sexy smile as he went to open the door, and I'm 100% sure the delivery man knew what we were up to.

We ate the food on the sofa, our legs tangled up and stopping to kiss every now and again. The greasy food and make out session sobered me up a bit, and I wanted to show off some of my purchases.

"Go into the bedroom. I'll meet you there." He raised his eyebrow and smiled, kissing me hard before untangling himself. As he walked away, he unbuttoned his shirt and dropped it on the floor, the sound of him unbuckling his belt following him as he went out of sight.

I shuddered and reached for the nearest bag, fishing some matching lingerie out. I spied a hairbrush on the counter and ran it through my hair, before taking off all the mismatched underwear I had on over my shirt and trousers.

I stripped, pulling on one of the more sexier sets, before taking a deep breath and trying to walk in a straight line towards the bedroom.

Needless to say, we tried to break our record. We failed, but six still made for an interesting evening.


End file.
